SNSF Starting Grant
SNSF Starting Grants represent the SNSF’s highest level of career funding. The call enables researchers to carry out their own independent project and lead a research team in Switzerland.
Applicants must have several years of research experience following their PhD – or an equivalent qualification or medical degree – during which time they have already contributed to scientifically independent and impactful research in their field. In addition, you must fulfil the following three criteria: 1) you must fall within the eligibility window; 2) you must not yet have achieved the objective of this call; 3) you must have a link with Switzerland (Swiss-link). Please consult the call document (PDF) to verify that you meet all the participation requirements. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact the SNSF by email at stg@snf.ch.
SNSF Starting Grants are open to all disciplines and topics. Applicants can request a budget of up to 1 million francs for project funding over a five-year period. In addition, applicants can apply for funds to cover their own salaries (see article 3.2 of the call document (PDF) for conditions).
Next submission deadline: 5 May 2026
Written confirmation from the research institution
To submit an application to the SNSF, you need a written confirmation from the research institution (template is available on mySNF and AVA).
At UZH, you will receive the confirmation letter via the approval process in AVA, the UZH third-party funding platform.
Applicants are advised to contact the intended host institute or department at an early stage to discuss how the proposed project fits in with the research unterway at the department, and available resources, such as premises and infrastructure. Some institutes have an internal selection procedure for SNSF Starting Grant applicants.
You can log in toAVA with your UZH login (short name and password).
External applicants who do not (yet) have a UZH login can request a temporary external user account for AVA. The login requires a two-factor authentification (e.g. with the Microsoft or Google authentificator app) and the account has to be confirmed by the Research & Grants Office before it can be used.
Please enter your project details on AVA and start the approval process no later than 20 April 2026. Once the approval process has been completed, you can download the confirmation letter from AVA as a PDF.