Swiss AI Initiative – 3rd Call for Large Grants

The Swiss AI Initiative provides funding to support the research and development of open science artifacts in core areas of foundation model development, as well as target application areas of critical societal importance. The 3^rd Call for Large Grants is now open with a submission deadline of 31 March 2026 (17:00 CEST).

The call is open for all proposals that align with the goals of the Swiss AI initiative and require considerable computational resources. Proposals should outline a research agenda that matches several of the following criteria:

• advance core AI capabilities (scalability, efficiency, alignment, safety, multimodal integration or evaluation)
• advance research in AI fundamentals or impact applications of AI
• benefit the Swiss or European or global ecosystem and societal context
• foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and/or collaboration across more than one group
• ensure ethical AI use and regulatory compliance
• promote principles of open science (including open-source, open weights, open data)
• foster participation of various stakeholders, such as public administration, SMEs, Startups, NGOs. 

• LLMs
• Multimodality
• AI Safety
• AI for Education
• AI for Science (including biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and others)
• AI for Health
• AI for Climate & Weather modeling
• AI for Robotics
• Strengthening the interface of AI and democratic processes, including for example media, law and justice, or the public administration

• Applicants must have an affiliation with an ETH Domain institution (ETH Zurich, EPFL, PSI, WSL, Empa or Eawag) and be employed in a permanent or Professor tenure-track capacity for the whole duration of the project. Cross-institutional collaborations are also encouraged.
• More detailed information about the eligibility requirements can be found in the call application guidelines.

• The core purpose of this initiative is the allocation of GPUh. The requested compute amount can exceed 500K compute hours. In addition to compute hours, applicants can exceptionally request funding for personnel and research costs, up to a maximum amount of CHF 200K. 
• The project duration is one year.

• The call Application Guidelines and templates can be found on the programme webpage.
• Applications need to be submitted via the online submission platform.

• A short Declaration of Intent must be submitted by 16 March 2026 (17:00 CET) and the deadline for the full proposal is 31 March 2026 (17:00 CEST).
• For further information, please contact: [email protected].