SWEETER Call 1-2026: Energy- and Resource-Efficient Industrial Processes
Event details
| Date | 12.05.2026 |
| Category | Call for proposal |
The SWEET programme comprises two main funding instruments. The first is the SWEET instrument, through which seven calls for proposals were published from 2020 to 2024 that resulted in ten consortia. The second instrument is called SWEETER (SWiss research for the EnErgy Transition and Emissions Reduction) to reflect the further development of SWEET and the collaboration with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The SFOE and FOEN plan to issue three SWEETER calls from 2026 to 2028 through which three consortia may be funded.
The first SWEETER call for proposals has been launched. To strengthen the involvement of representatives from practical fields, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy has made several adjustments for this call. Among the most important changes are:
- The expected impact of a consortium on driving economic and societal change is now planned using an impact model, specifically designed to engage partners from practical fields.
- Companies and other non-academic organisations are now eligible to lead SWEETER consortia and are strongly encouraged to take on this role.
- Consortia invited to prepare full proposals will receive dedicated financial support of CHF 25’000, once the full proposal is submitted.
Research challenges to be addressed:
- How can industrial processes requiring high-temperature heat (i.e., above 150 °C) or industrial processes lacking viable commercially available solutions and still requiring research and innovation (as of April 2026), be optimised and transitioned away from fossil energy carriers in a way that significantly contributes to the goals of Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050 and long-term climate strategy while maintaining or enhancing the economic viability and efficiency of the industrial processes as well as the competitiveness of the companies involved?
- How can the reuse, repurpose, remanufacture, and recycling of components that already play or are expected to play an important role in the Swiss energy system be made more efficient, sustainable, economic, and socially accepted?
A consortium is a network of academic and non-academic members that apply for SWEETER funding and use this funding, supplemented by own and third-party funding, to tackle the research challenges defined in SWEETER calls.
A consortium must:
- Be led by 1 host institution that represents the consortium to the SFOE.
- Consist of at least 2 academic member institutions:
- member institution from Swiss universities or institutes of the ETH domain (ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, Empa, Eawag, PSI, and WSL),
- member institution from Swiss universities of applied sciences.
- Consist of at least 2 member institutions from the private sector.
- Include member institutions located in at least 2 different language regions of Switzerland.
- Be composed of members that deliver complementary and significant contributions to the work programme and receive an adequate share of the SWEETER funding.
- Ensure that various academic disciplines and non-academic fields of expertise lead WPs.
- Strive for gender balance among director and WP leaders.
The host institution must be a Swiss institution entitled to receive SWEETER funding,and is the legal entity applying for funding on behalf of the consortium. The host institution may be an academic or a non-academic institution. The obligations of the host institution include appointing one of its employees as the consortium director.
Partners that apply for SWEETER funding through consortia are called members. In line with the need for transdisciplinary consortia, various institutions are eligible for SWEETER funding. Institutions that are not eligible for SWEETER funding may participate in a consortium’s activities as collaboration partners.
The SFOE requires that SWEETER consortia are led by a triumvirate consisting of a director, an integration expert, and a KTT expert.
The budget for the call for proposals, amounting to just under CHF 12 million, will be allocated for two three-year periods with an intermediate evaluation.
Dates assocated with this call:
- Deadline for notification of intent to submit pre-proposal: 12 May 2026: Notification of intent to submit to [email protected]. The notification must be prepared in English using the template that is available on the SWEET website. The SFOE will acknowledge having received the notification by contacting the director named in the notification.
- Deadline for submission of pre-proposals: 30 June 2026 at 12:00 noon CEST
- Announcement of evaluation results: September 2026
- Invitation to prepare full proposals: September 2026
- Deadline for submission of full proposals: January 2027
- Announcement of funding decision: April 2027
- Consortium starts operations: August 2027
Practical information
- General public
- Free