European framework programmes
The Euresearch regional office Eastern Switzerland advises researchers at universities, universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education, other research bodies, and private enterprises in the region.
The Grants Office St.Gallen is home to the Regional Office Eastern Switzerland of the Euresearch network. We are your contact for all questions regarding funding by the European Commission. Euresearch is the central information network on European research and innovation funding. We are in close contact with the Network Office in Bern and other Regional Offices in Switzerland.
The funding instruments of the European Union for research in innovation are bundled in 7-year framework programs. Since 01 January 2021 and until the end of 2027, Horizon Europe is the current framework program. The European Union funds a variety of formats, topics and institutions. The most common programs at universities are Collaborative Projects, European Research Council funding and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Currently, Switzerland is not associated. Nevertheless, a large part of the program is open to Swiss researchers. The budget of the Swiss partners is covered by SERI. In addition, the federal government has defined so-called "transitional measures" for many funding lines.
The most common programs
Collaborative projects are "top-down" and work on predefined topics in research areas prioritized by the EU. The thematic guidelines formulated in the call must be addressed in full. Swiss institutions can participate in collaborative projects. At least three independent institutions from three different EU Member States or EU-associated countries (one of them as coordinator) must be involved.
The ERC funds researchers at different career stages. As Switzerland is not associated to Horizon Europe, Swiss institutions cannot act as "host institution" for individual ERC schemes. Only the ERC Synergy Grant is open to Swiss researchers. For the other ERC grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced), the SNSF has a mandate to implement transitional measures. Current information can be found here.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions support research projects and collaboration between countries, sectors and scientific fields. Funding is "bottom-up", i.e. researchers are free to choose their research topic. The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, which are common at universities, are currently not open to researchers from Switzerland due to non-association. Swiss institutions can only act as "outgoing hosts". The SNSF has implemented a transitional measure. Information about the SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship can be found here.
The following overview lists which funding programs are open to Swiss researchers.
We check your eligibility and advise you on the application process. Contact us at an early stage. Valuable information is also provided by Euresearch.
