Swiss Polar Institute I Exploratory Grants 2025

The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) was created to provide services to and promote synergies within the polar community in Switzerland.

With the Exploratory Grants, SPI supports Swiss-based scientists active in polar regions (including remote high-altitude regions such as the Andes and the Himalayas) by allowing them to launch short-term new ideas (for example pilot projects), fund additional field work or launch new collaborations with financial support for logistics. To maximise the scientific output of a project whilst minimising its environmental footprint, grants can also be used for the acquisition of polar data and samples through innovative methods, for instance reinforced collaboration between research groups or with other projects, enhanced cooperation with local partners, or the acquisition of remotely sensed data.Collaboration with new teams or across disciplines are particularly encouraged, as well as participation in larger/international activities; the grants can be used to complement the funding of initiatives supported by larger funding schemes (e.g. SNSF, EU, etc.)

In 2025, the total budget allocated to SPI Exploratory Grants will be capped at CHF 150,000.-

The SPI Exploratory Grants are complementary to the existing Polar Access Fund (specifically focused on early-career scientists) and SPI Technogrants (focused on technology developments).

Who can apply:
 

• Established researchers or post-docs (at least 3 years after PhD graduation) based at a Swiss public research institution.
• Researchers from all fields of research, also fields considered as “non-typical” for polar sciences (e.g. engineering, materials, medicine, humanities and social sciences, etc.), are encouraged to apply if they have a project to be conducted in a polar context.

• travel costs to scientific stations/infrastructure in polar regions (including for the performance of technical/maintenance work);
• shipment of scientific equipment or material, and samples;
• purchase of small equipment (in duly justified cases) and consumables;
• rental of scientific equipment or sensing systems;
• acquisition of remotely sensed data;
• funding towards fieldwork carried out by local partners;
• costs for preliminary analysis/early processing of data/samples directly after fieldwork (max. CHF 15,000.-);
• offset of carbon emissions, if not an option already offered by the institution (see below for more details on the eligibility conditions of carbon compensation).

• overhead;
• costs relating to salaries of permanent positions;
• costs relating to scientific exchange (stay in another lab/research facility) and the organisation of workshops;
• initiatives which are not directly inserted into a research activity (sports, arts, adventure, outreach, …).

• Completed online application form (contact, main information and proposal)
• Attachments to be uploaded into the online application form as PDF:
  • Letters of support
  • CVs of the applicant and main partners, incl. publication lists as PDF (compulsory – free format, max 4 pages per person)
  • Completed carbon assessment tool