Apply for and manage grants

In addition to excellent research, adequate funding is crucial for the success of a research project. Potential funders and funding institutions are located at university, national, European and international level. As a rule, research funding is project-based and must be applied for as such. Exceptions to this are donations and prizes. In any case, third-party funding is centrally administered by the University of Zurich and must therefore be reported to the third-party funding administration. Here you will find information on the submission of third-party funding applications and their financial management in the event of an approval.

There are various forms of funding (individual, project or programme funding) and accordingly numerous funding instruments that are geared towards specific purposes. When looking for financial support, it is therefore important to find the appropriate funding instrument for your research project.

Find out at an early stage about the requirements and deadlines that apply to the funding instrument to which you intend to apply. Check the personal and formal requirements for an eligible application carefully and, if in doubt, check with the funding institution. Evaluation, interview and decision-making processes take a lot of time and there can be considerable delays between the application date and the earliest possible starting date. For many funding instruments, a large number of documents have to be prepared and compiled. Keep in mind that it also takes time to obtain any letters of support and confirmation.

For most research funding instruments, the research plan or project outline is the centrepiece of the application: the research project should be presented and justified. The research plan shall form the basis for the scientific evaluation, in particular of the quality of the proposed research project, i.e. its scientific relevance, timeliness, originality, feasibility and suitability of its methods. Inform yourself in good time about the current formal and content requirements of the research plan of the respective funding instrument and make sure to comply with them.

Need help with proposal writing? The Graduate Campus offers several competence courses for postdocs:

Website Graduate Campus: Career & self-management

For the successful submission and subsequent implementation of third-party funded projects, they must be properly budgeted and correctly billed and closed at the end of the project. Inform yourself carefully about which costs can be applied for under which funding instrument.

All UZH processes related to third-party funded projects are handled via the AVA platform. AVA supports the preparation of funding proposals (including budgeting) and receiving letters of confirmation. The financial processes of ongoing projects are opened and managed in AVA. AVA also offers the opportunity to clarify ethical and data protection issues relating to research projects.

AVA third-party funding platform

Learn AVA

Further information and advice can be obtained from the third-party fund management

The Office of the Vice President Research is responsible (as of 1 August 2020) for the extension and transfer of third-party funds in the event of leaving the university or retiring (according to FHB § 36).

Here you will find information on how to deal with third-party funds in case of exit or retirement: