[ SNSF Spark - Rapid funding of unconventional ideas | Research funding ]

The Spark funding scheme of the SNSF offers researchers the opportunity to develop and test rapidly, independently and under their own responsibility new and unconventional scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards and ideas in any disciplines.

The focus is on promising ideas of high originality, which are based on little or no preliminary data and which can be developed and tested without delay (see “timeline of the call” below). Taking risks is very welcome, but not a requirement in itself. Negative results will be regarded as knowledge gained.

This is the second and last call (for this ERI period) of the SNSF Spark funding scheme.

Note: proposals are evaluated in a double-blind reviewing process (i.e. the identity of the applicant will not be disclosed to the evaluators). In this view, the project description must be fully anonymized, otherwise your application will be rejected.

Who can apply:

• Applicants at any career level holding a Doctorate (PhD or MD-PhD) or equivalent qualification. Doctoral students are not eligible.
• The applicant must either be employed (no minimum work quota required) at a Swiss host institution for the duration of the project, or must have the support of a Swiss institution.
• Applicants may hold, apply for and receive other SNSF grants while applying or holding a Spark grant, provided that there is a substantive thematic difference between the projects.
• However, you can only hold 1 Spark grant at a time, and you can only submit 1 application for this call. Applicants whose application was scientifically evaluated in the previous Spark call (deadline 17 July 2019) are NOT eligible for this call.
• SNSF-funded project staff may submit Spark applications if they terminate their employee status before starting their project in the event of their application being approved.

• • Launch of the call: 15 February 2020.
  • EPFL internal deadline for Commitment Letter: 1 March 2020.
  • Call deadline: 11 March 2020 at 17:00 Swiss local time.
  • Start of the project: between 1 September and 1 December 2020. The project must start within 4 months from the decision.