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15.05.2008 08:01

Good news for researchers: higher SNSF success rate despite an increasing number of applications

Kathrin Sterchi Presse- und Informationsdienst
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF

Annual Report 2007 of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

In 2007 the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supported promising research projects and talented young researchers with a total of 531 million Swiss francs. Particularly gratifying for the researchers: despite recent record application figures, the success rate has increased. For project funding of independent research the figure was approx. 50%.

Support from the SNSF is being sought more than ever by research units at Swiss higher education colleges and universities. According to the annual report just published, the number of independent research projects submitted in 2007 for SNSF assessment reached an all-time high of 2,105 (previous year: 2,048). The pleasing outcome was the approval of approx. 50% of these submissions. The success rate for awards thus again reached the level of 1998, following a continuous decline to 40% in 2004. This increase can be ascribed to the intention of the Swiss Federal Council and Parliament to again boost competitive research funding and place more financial resources at the disposal of the SNSF.

Funding: over 530 million invested in research
As the most important Swiss institution funding scientific research, in 2007 the SNSF invested more than ever in the Swiss research community: in total, 531 million Swiss francs (previous year: 491 million Swiss francs). The major part of the approved funding was again awarded to independent research (84%). The SNSF thus supports qualitatively high-ranking projects that promise sourcing of the relevant findings in their specialist disciplines as well as innovative projects in new and interdisciplinary areas. In 2007, approx. 5,500 young talented researchers were supported within this framework, with approx. 1,000 receiving awards directly from the personal funding programme, and the others supported as team members of the individual funded pro-jects. The SNSF allocated 16% of total funding to the National Research Programmes (NFP) and National Centres of Competence (NCCR), whose research focuses are determined by the Swiss Federal Council.

On behalf of the federal government, the SNSF funds all scientific disciplines, from nuclear physics to art history, medicine and climatology. In 2007, a total of 25% of the approved financial resources were allocated to the humanities and social sciences, 37% to mathematics, natural and engineering sciences and 38% to biology and medicine.

In comparison to the previous year, SNSF expenditure on assessing applications and its administrative offices has on the other hand dropped slightly, from 5% of overall expenditure in 2006 to 4.8% last year.

Funding programmes: efficient and effective
The SNSF has undertaken a thorough assessment of its professorship programme. The assessment report reveals that the programme is effective and successful. At the end of 2007, 88% of the first group of SNSF grant beneficiaries had become full professors. The effectiveness of National Research Programmes (NFP) has also been screened. The survey conducted by the Center for Science and Technology Studies (CEST) portrays the NFP as a "highly effective instrument with a wide and in-depth spectrum of activity". The SNSF has initiated implementation of the recommendations and measures specified in the two evaluations to further optimise its funding schemes.

While in November 2007, the Swiss Federal Council - based on the feasibility studies and draft programmes drawn up by the SNSF - commissioned 6 new NFPs at national level, the Swiss research community enjoyed major success last year in the international arena: 4 of the 20 winners of one of the EURYI Awards 2007 (European Young Investigator Awards) will carry out research at Swiss universities. The prize awarded by the SNSF and 19 other European research funding organisations for top young researchers is worth an average of one million Euro for 5 years. In 2007 the SNSF also approved 7 Pro*Doc 7 programme doctoral student applications, 5 of which were in the social sciences and humanities. Approx. 100 doctoral students are directly supported in the 14 programmes launched to date. The SNSF and the Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities (CRUS) will jointly administer the doctoral programme for 2008 -2011, with a budget of approx. 90 million Swiss francs.

Services: new evaluations and mySNF
In 2007, the SNSF agreed to conduct, for the first time ever, the evaluation of major national research initiatives that are not funded out of its own budget. These include the SystemsX.ch (system biology) programme which has since been launched and Nano-Tera.ch (engineering sciences) programme. Furthermore, for the first time ever, the new mySNF web platform was available to all applicants for electronic submission of their applications for the deadline in October 2007. Approx. 25% have already taken advantage of it. mySNF is illustrative of SNSF's mission to constantly improve services to researchers.

Committees: new elections and new Foundation Council president
At the end of 2007 new elections for the National Research Council and Foundation Council were held. Of the 97 new members of the Research Council, 20 are women (representing an increase from 18.3% to 20.6%). Following the elections, the Foundation Council comprises 36 members and Hans Ulrich Stöcklin was elected as a new president and successor to Fritz Schiesser.

Policy: welcome course set for the SNSF
On the political level, a welcome course was set for SNSF activities in the forthcoming four-year period. The memorandum adopted in October last year by the Swiss Federal Councillors on the funding of education, research and innovation 2008 - 2011 (known as the BFI memorandum) envisages a welcome growth in financial resources during the years ahead for the SNSF. This financial boost has permitted the SNSF to initiate important elements of its multi-annual programme 2008-2011, e.g. the launch of two new lines of action which have now been successfully inaugurated: Ambizione for the funding of young researchers poised on the threshold of their careers and Sinergia for the support of larger scale cooperative projects. In order to further improve starting conditions for young academics, the SNSF also managed to increase doctoral student salaries by 10% in real terms in its funded projects.

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
The SNSF with its headquarters in Bern is responsible for public funding of scientific research in Switzerland. It supports the best research projects from all disciplines submitted by researchers. Applications are selected on a competitive basis and are assessed at national and international level by "peer reviews". This procedure allows the SNSF to assure the quality of projects financed out of public funds.
Further information: http://www.snf.ch

Contact
Swiss National Science Foundation
Press and Information Service
Alan Knaus
Wildhainweg 3
CH-3001 Bern
Phone +41 (0)31 308 23 77
Email: aknaus@snf.ch

Orders
You can order the Annual Report 2007 and further publications in German or French, in paper format free of charge from the following address:

Swiss National Science Foundation
Press and Information Service
Wildhainweg 3
Post box 8232
CH-3001 Bern
Email: pri@snf.ch
Phone: +41 (0)31 308 23 85

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Weitere Informationen:

http://www.snf.ch

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