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Research Grants & Applications

Travel Grants

Travel Grants are a funding instrument of the NCCR Evolving Language and are intended to financially support NCCR researchers to attend a scientific event. 

Eligibility
Applications are open to anyone at least partially employed by an NCCR-funded project. In order to be eligible for a travel grant, NCCR researchers have to make a peer-reviewed contribution to a scientific event (oral presentation or poster presentation).
 
Conditions
NCCR researchers can apply for grants of CHF 500 (travel within Europe) or grants of CHF 1’000 (travel outside Europe). In addition, the following conditions apply:
 
  • The NCCR Office awards a maximum of one grant per researcher and calendar year.
  • NCCR researchers are obliged to state their affiliation with the NCCR.
  • Applications can only be submitted for events taking place in the current calendar year.
  • NCCR researchers are obliged to travel economy and / or second class. Within Europe, applicants are encouraged to travel by train if their destination can be reached within one working day.
  • Travel grants can only be used to cover (1) travel costs, (2) accommodation costs, and (3) conference fees (including fees for conference dinners).
Application procedure
 
  • Form “Application for Travel Grant”
  • Detailed cost overview
  • Notification of acceptance of your contribution
  • Copy of the program booklet containing your abstract (including the NCCR affiliation)
Reimbursement procedure
Reimbursement claims have to be made no later than two months after an event by sending the official NCCR reimbursement form together with PDF copies of original receipts post to . Please make sure to observe the NCCR reimbursement guidelines. 
 
 

Innovation Grants

Innovation Grants are a funding instrument of the NCCR Evolving Language that is supposed to finance innovative research projects by the members of the NCCR Evolving Language.

Eligibility

Application is open to groups of two or more persons (1) who qualify as NCCR members (as defined in the Rules of Procedure, Article 4.16, i.e. principal investigators, internal collaborators, and NCCR-employed researchers) or have been granted Associate Investigator status and (2) are from at least two different disciplines. 

Conditions

Innovation Grants are intended to fund research projects by the members of the NCCR Evolving Language in the range of CHF 50’000 for up to 12 months. Higher amounts, if requested, will need to be forcefully justified. The grant can be spent on any type of costs eligible according to the NCCR Budget Guidelines (Section 4)

Application procedure

Grant applications have to be sent to . The next submission deadline is May 15, 2023. 

The application (max. length of 2 pages – excluding references) should consist of the following sections:

  • Current state of research, including your own research
  • Research plan and budget (including information on co-funding / why the planned research cannot be financed by other funding sources)
  • Relevance and impact for the NCCR’s research agenda
  • References

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by the Steering Committee based on the following criteria:

  • Novelty and potential of the proposal
  • Interdisciplinarity of the planned research
  • Complementarity to existing research strands / projects within the NCCR

Mobility Grants

The NCCR is launching a call for NCCR Mobility Grants. These grants offer financial support to early career researchers so that they can spend time at the department of another NCCR PI. The grant intends to promote scientific exchange and interdisciplinary research across the entire NCCR network.

Eligibility

Proposals can be submitted by NCCR Researchers (i.e. early-career researchers whose current position is at least partially funded by the NCCR).

Conditions

Applicants will receive financial support for spending between one and three months at the department of another NCCR PI. The grant can be used to cover the applicants’ travel and accommodation costs during the time of their visit. 

Applicants can bill their costs directly to the research budget of their Work Package. The research budget of the relevant Work Package will be increased accordingly and the additional costs will be reimbursed by the NCCR with the trimestrial installments. 

Application procedure

Grant applications have to be sent to by May 15, 2023.

The application (max. length of 1 page – excluding references) should consist of the following sections:

  1. Current state of your research / project
  2. Importance of the visit for your research / project (e.g. for joint research activities, publications, etc.)
  3. References

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by the Steering Committee based on the following criteria:

  • Importance of the relevant research for the objectives of the Work Package
  • Importance of the relevant research for the NCCR’s research agenda
  • Interdisciplinarity of the planned research / project

Bottom-Up EO measures

The NCCR is launching a call for bottom-up Equal Opportunity (EO) measures. This instrument is intended to support and finance EO activities proposed by NCCR members. In this way, the NCCR would like to offer the opportunity to its members to articulate their needs in the domain of EO and actively shape its EO program.

Eligibility

Proposals can be submitted by all NCCR members (i.e. PIs, AIs, NCCR Researchers, and Internal Collaborators). 

Conditions

The NCCR has earmarked a total amount of CHF 30’000 for bottom-up EO measures to be used until the end of Phase 1 (May 2024). These amounts can be spent on any type of costs eligible according to the NCCR Budget Guidelines. The Steering Committee reserves the right to cut requested budgets depending on the total number of incoming applications.

Application procedure

Grant applications have to be sent to by May 15, 2023.

The application (max. length of 2 pages – excluding tables, illustrations, and references) does not need to adhere to any particular form. However, it should …

  1. clearly state the object and purpose of the proposed EO measures (e.g. why the relevant measures are necessary and how they complement existing instruments inside and outside of the NCCR).
  2. contain a project plan including (1) a budget, (2) a project implementation plan, and (3) a list of the people involved and their relevant tasks. 

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by the Steering Committee based on the following criteria:

  • Feasibility
  • Impact
  • Complementarity to existing measures

Event Support

The NCCR Evolving Language supports the organization of scientific events (e.g. conferences, workshops, congresses, symposia) with a contribution of max. CHF 2’000. The topic of these events must be relevant to the research done within the NCCR. Applications can be submitted by NCCR PIs and NCCR-funded research staff to  

Please provide the following documents in a single PDF file:

  • A half-page summary of the planned event indicating
    • the names, affiliations and positions of the conveners
    • scheduled dates and location of the event
    • relevance and importance to the NCCR Evolving Language
  • A program draft indicating at least the names and affiliations of invited participants, especially NCCR PIs and research staff
  • A detailed budget for the whole event specifying the intended use of the NCCR funds
  • Endorsement by your WP Spokesperson to ensure your WP colleagues are informed and agree. An email endorsement is sufficient. 

Applications can be submitted throughout the year. During a calendar year one application is allowed per WP and event

Please note that the NCCR logo has to be included in all materials related to the event. 

SIG Applications

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are an instrument of the NCCR Evolving Language to foster interdisciplinary research and support innovative research ideas that complement existing research strands within the NCCR. Please note that SIGs are conceptual instruments intended to enable new collaborations and do not include any financial support.

Eligibility

SIG applications can be submitted by groups comprising NCCR members (as defined in the Rules of Procedure, Article 4.16, i.e. principal investigators, internal collaborators, and NCCR-employed researchers) from at least two different disciplines and possibly including further external collaborators.

Conditions

SIGs target research questions that are relevant to the NCCR agenda but are not yet covered by existing Projects and might evolve into full-fledged Work Packages in a subsequent NCCR phase. Once established, SIGs can apply for NCCR Innovation Grants.

Application procedure

SIG applications for 2021 have to be sent to . The next submission deadline is May 15, 2023. The application should consist of a brief research proposal (max. 2 pages) in a single PDF-file. The proposal should clearly state …

  • the focus of the proposed SIG.
  • its relevance to the NCCR Evolving Language and its novelty.
  • long-term perspectives and goals.

Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by the Steering Committee based on the following criteria:

  • Novelty and potential of the proposal
  • Interdisciplinarity of the planned research
  • Complementarity to existing research strands / projects within the NCCR

Applications that are not approved can be resubmitted in the following year.