Switzerland and US conclude scientific research agreement

A researcher launches a data-transmitting weather balloon at Summit Station, a remote research site operated by the US National Science Foundation Keystone / Brennan Linsley

Researchers from Switzerland and the United States will in future be able to submit a single funding application to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US for joint projects.

The two institutions have reached an agreement to this effect, the Swiss Embassy in the US and the SNSF said on Friday.

The agreement “simplifies the application process for researchers and prevents contradicting decisions by the two funding organisations involved”, the SNSF said in a statementExternal link. Applications can be submitted from April this year.

In November 2021 the SNSF and the NSF concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The two funding organisations have now signed a Lead Agency agreement based on the MoU. Researchers can submit joint applications to either organisation. The projects must have a joint research question and research plan. The parts of the project conducted in each country are not independent projects and cannot be carried out separately.

The two funding organisations have agreed to take turns as the Lead Agency on a yearly basis.

The SNSF has already concluded such agreements with numerous European countries as well as with South Africa and the São Paulo region in Brazil.