Spark funds the rapid testing or development of novel scientific approaches, methods and theories in any disciplines.The focus is on ideas of high originality for which preliminary data are not necessarily available (high-risk research) and that are unlikely to be funded under other funding schemes.
Applicants can request between CHF 50,000 and CHF 100,000 for a project duration of 6 to 12 months. The Spark grant may cover the applicant’s salary. The project description submitted by the applicant must be fully anonymized.
Applicants at any career level, from postdocs to full professors, holding a doctorate or equivalent qualification, are eligible to apply. They must be employed at a CH higher education or research institution for the duration of the grant and have developed the idea for the proposal themselves.
- 1 applicant per project.- You cannot employ PhD students on a Spark project.- If you get the grant or get rejected and rated among the weakest third of the proposals, you cannot reapply for 4 calls.- No parallel submission of the same project to Spark and other SNSF funding schemes.
Reach out for information about evaluation criteria and success rates and to get feedback on your proposal. Applications are evaluated in a double-blind reviewing process: the identity of the applicant is not disclosed to the evaluators. Have a look at the awarded Spark projects.
