SNSF Postdoc.Mobility and Ambizione: adaptation of eligibility criteria
Postdoc.Mobility and Ambizione will be replaced by a new funding scheme starting in 2028. The SNSF is taking steps to ensure the transition for the final calls for proposals.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is reforming its career funding schemes. From 2028, a new postdoctoral funding programme will replace both Postdoc.Mobility (final call: August 2027) and Ambizione (final call: November 2026). The reform aims to provide better framework conditions for excellent research and to better reflect the diversity of academic career paths.
In response to a sharp rise in the number of applications and low success rates (around 10%), the SNSF is revising the eligibility criteria for the final calls of both schemes. For Postdoc.Mobility, eligibility is more strongly focused on applicants with a link to Switzerland, and proposals may be submitted no earlier than six months before the PhD defence. For Ambizione, applicants must demonstrate a clear connection to Switzerland, and each host or contact person may now support only one applicant.
These measures are intended to refocus the schemes on their primary target groups, reduce the burden on early‑career researchers and the peer‑review system, and prepare the transition to the new postdoctoral funding scheme launching in 2028. Further details on the new scheme will be announced by the end of 2026.