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Editorial My photo album We often recognise changes only in retrospect. A ten-year-old photograph of a person we see everyday can open our eyes to this Dieter Imboden fact. My “photo album” President of the National of the SNSF consists Research Council of minutes of meetof the SNSF ings, documents and personal notes – for instance those I took on 10 January 2005 when I chaired a meeting of the Presiding Board of the Research Council for the first time. On that occasion, I mentioned as major challenges the reform project “SNF08”, the preparation of the multiyear-programme 2008-11, a worthy role for the SNSF in research funding, and international integration. In addition, career funding was already very close to my heart. Last but not least, I paid my respects to the institution and the people who make it what it is. And today, almost eight years later? While we have made considerable progress in certain areas, more work is still needed in others. The photo album does not end with my departure from the SNSF. Research and research funding are neverending, and that is just as well. When paging through the SNSF album I feel grateful for those images that I helped to shape. And my respect for the task at hand has remained intact. SNSF vivat, crescat, floreat.
N° 17 > October 2012
I n f o r m a t i o n f o r r e s e a r c h e r s f r o m t h e S w i s s N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e Fo u n d a t i o n
Mobility fellowships and grants for doctoral students: Innovations in 2013 Make it clear, streamlined and flexible: these are some of the goals pursued by the SNSF in restructuring its mobility fellowships for stays abroad. In addition, the SNSF will increase its support for doctoral students as of 2013 by means of a new excellence scheme (Doc.CH) in the humanities and social sciences. Daniel Sebastiani, Careers division
The fellowships will henceforth consist of three funding schemes that are open to all disciplines. Doc.Mobility and Early Postdoc.Mobility are distinct schemes that replace the fellowships for prospective researchers. The submission deadlines at the local Research Commissions and the Fellowship Commission of the SNSF have been harmonised and set to 1 March and 1 September. Doc.Mobility runs for 6 to 18 months and is aimed at doctoral students. Early Postdoc.Mobility is geared at postdocs at the beginning of their careers and runs for 18 months. Advanced Postdoc.Mobility replaces the fellowships for advanced researchers, with funding decisions being made by the National Research Council. At least one year's experience as a postdoc by the submission deadline (1 February and 1 August) is a prerequisite for this funding scheme, which offers support for a period of 12 to 36 months. Approximately 600 fellowships are awarded each year.
A doctorate thanks to Doc.CH The new funding scheme Doc.CH is addressed to doctoral students who wish to write a dissertation in the humanities and social sciences in Switzerland on a topic of their own choice. The submission deadlines are 10 March and 10 September. The requirements for this funding scheme include a master's degree with excellent marks and, in principle, a change of higher education institution between
As of next year, the SNSF will be offering a new funding scheme aimed at doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences: Doc.CH
the bachelor and the doctorate. Candidates must be supervised by two professors. The evaluation procedure consists of two phases: the local Research Commission of the chosen university selects the best applications in the first phase, and the National Research Council takes the funding decisions in the second phase. The SNSF awards 40 grants per year. E lig ibility r e quir e me n ts f or t he s e schemes, such as the academic age, have been made as flexible as possible in order to accommodate different career paths. www.snsf.ch > Funding > Careers
Page 2 > Large projects: Participation thanks to FLARE • Page 2 > In Focus: Lack of gender equality Page 5 > Conclusion of NCCR "MICS"• Page 5 > Projects with Romania and Bulgaria get under way
Current Issues
Large-scale projects: FLARE enables Swiss participation If Swiss researchers are to continue participating in large-scale international projects in the future, additional funds will be necessary. On behalf of the Swiss government, the SNSF is now making these funds available as part of an initiative called FLARE (Funding LArge international REsearch projects). Pioneering discoveries, such as the identification of a candidate for the Higgs Boson, are often based on a largescale international research infrastructure and organisation. In order to enable and optimise the use of such facilities by Swiss researchers, the Swiss government has mandated the SNSF to invest a further CHF 26.5 million between 2013 and 2016 under the FLARE intiative.
Two-year transition period
With the FLARE initiative, the SNSF now supports Swiss participation in CERN experiments in Geneva (incl. operation, maintenance and computing on the Large Hadron Collider LHC).
FLARE replaces the existing schemes FORCE for particle physics and FINES for astronomy, which support Swiss participation in CERN experiments in Geneva as well as the Swiss instrument development for ESO (European Southern Observatory). Additionally, FLARE can now also be used to finance Swiss participations in ESFRI and other projects in the area of astroparticle physics.
A two-year transition period between FLARE and the existing instruments will enable researchers to continue their scientific work. This will also help to accommodate the different organisational forms of the three affected scientific communities (experimental particle physics, astrophysics and astroparticle physics). The annual deadline for the submission of FLARE applications is 15 November. Swiss contact persons of experiments eligible for funding under FLARE may either submit a letter of intent (LoI) or a full application. PFI www.snsf.ch > Funding > Infrastructures > FLARE
In Focus
Lack of equal opportunities at Swiss higher education institutions and less young academics coming through: Are there any common roots?
Dieter Imboden President of the National Research Council of the SNSF
Among all the topics I have dealt with during my period of office as President of the Research Council, one irritates me the most: gender equality – or rather: its absence. Whichever figures we look at, we always find the same picture: progress is non-existent or at best slow. What are we doing wrong? Why are all the well-meant studies, conferences and special measures not bearing fruit? I am convinced that the realm of research would benefit enormously if there were more women in it. But what makes us think that a higher quota of women is desirable from a woman's perspective
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under the present circumstances? Could it be that many women consciously avoid the lottery of a research career today because it is only one of many interesting career opportunities? Or because a certain security or stability is a prerequisite for any serious plans to start a family? A group of young researchers recently analysed the situation of young academics in Switzerland. They came to the conclusion that a research career involves huge risks and is partly a question of luck, particularly in the period between postdoc and professorship. The group therefore recommends the creation of 1000 new
assistant professorships at Swiss higher education institutions based on the tenure track procedure, which offers a real chance of promotion to a full professorship at a later stage. Perhaps women are the better seismographs when it comes to registering shortcomings in the system. In order to promote gender equality, we might have to focus first on the deeper roots of the system, e.g. the general conditions for an academic career. It would certainly be worth a try, for experience has shown that the methods employed so far do not further the cause of gender equality.
www.snsf.ch Current issues SNSFinfo Applications & evaluation Funding policy International/Swisscore National Research Programmes National Centres of Competence in Research Communication & transfer
Current issues SNSFinfo Applications & evaluation Funding policy International/Swisscore National Research Programmes National Centres of Competence in Research Communication & transfer
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Public science communication: 34 new Agora applications The SNSF has received 34 proposals requesting total funding of more than CHF 5.3 million in response to the second call for proposals for Agora, a funding scheme for public science communication projects. Agora is open to all scientific disciplines. This year, biology and medicine and the humanities and social sciences are better represented (39% of proposals each) than mathematics and the natural and engineering sciences (22%). The projects employ different methods for communicating with the public: blogs, conferences, exhibitions, books, electronic applications, shows. The proposals will be evaluated by the SNSF and the funding decisions will be made by January 2013. The budget of
CHF 2 million will be augmented by CHF 250,000 from the Mercator Foundation Switzerland, whose participation in Agora begins this year. (27.09.2012)
Sinergia: 36 new grants and an amendment of regulations
Ambizione: 56 grants awarded and regulations amended
In January 2012, 92 Sinergia applications were submitted to the SNSF: 47 interdisciplinary and 45 disciplinary proposals. A total amount of CHF 146 million was requested by researchers. Finally 36 applications were approved and awarded grants worth a total of CHF 46 million. The total number of submitted applications remained stable as compared to the previous years (90 applications in 2010 and 2011). The SNSF has made an amendment in the Sinergia regulations. The change concerns the number of applications per responsible applicant and other applicants. The amendment will enter into force as of the next submission deadline on 15 January 2013. (04.10./03.07.2012)
In February 2012, 289 Ambizione applications were submitted by young researchers. The SNSF awarded a total of 56 new grants (Ambizione: 49, Ambizione-PROSPER: 1, Ambizione-SCORE: 6). The SNSF has decided to amend the regulations in time for the next call for proposals. In particular, the upper academic age limit will be made more flexible so as to facilitate applications by women in the future. In addition, the SNSF will only finance follow-up applications in exceptional cases and exclude the possibility of further project grants being awarded while an Ambizione grant is still ongoing. The next call for Ambizione proposals is scheduled for mid-November 2012 (deadline: 15 February 2013). (18.10.2012)
Anniversary event: The SNSF responds to suggestions from young researchers To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the SNSF invited young researchers to participate in an event addressing the subject of whether Switzerland is doing enough for young researchers. The event took place in Berne in January 2012. In workshops, the approximately 160 participating young researchers collected ideas on how they could be supported more adequately. Over the past few months, the SNSF has drawn its conclusions and will prioritise the following suggestions made by young researchers: improve employment condi-
tions for doctoral students; seek dialogue with higher education institutions to improve integration of researchers receiving SNSF funding; seek dialogue with higher education institutions to improve career prospects of researchers after the expiry of SNSF funding; examine the role of the SNSF vis-à-vis higher education institutions with regard to equal opportunity measures; introduce more flexibility in career funding. A more detailed explanation can be found in the document “Young researchers: this is what we can do!”. (11.07.2012)
www.snsf.ch Current issues SNSFinfo Applications & evaluation Funding policy International/Swisscore National Research Programmes National Centres of Competence in Research Communication & transfer
KFPE's new Guide for Transboundary Research Partnerships
Start of NRP 67: How knowledge can make dying more humane
The Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE) has revised the well-known eleven principles for research in partnerships. The KFPE’s new guide is intended for partnership arrangements striving for innovative research and a fruitful learning culture, both based on mutual trust and responsibility. The principles are useful guidelines for researchers who are considering or planning to engage in fair and equitable partnerships towards a common goal with scientists from developing countries. In addition to revising the principles, the authors of the current guide have developed seven fundamental questions that help to identify factors enabling or hindering research in partnerships. This project is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the SNSF. (16.08.2012)
Every year around 62,000 people die in Switzerland but little is known about the circumstances and conditions of dying. The SNSF has launched the National Research Programme “End of Life” (NRP 67) to gain knowledge that will make it possible to conceive more humane scenarios for the last phase of life. The nearly 30 research projects are divided into four key areas: The module “Provision” looks at institutions such as homes, hospitals and hospices and at how people experience them; “Decisions” studies how medical staff reach decisions and how their motives and attitudes influence terminal care; “Regulations” examines whether the existing laws measure up to reality or whether new rules are needed; and “Concepts” looks at how spirituality, ideals and cultural background influence ideas of dying and death. (03.10.2012)
Two new NRPs on energy The Federal Council has launched two new National Research Programmes (NRPs), “Energy Turnaround” and “Options for Controlling Final Energy Consumption”. The programmes have been assigned a total budget of CHF 45 million and will run for a period of five years. With these NRPs, the Swiss government aims to create a link between the technological and societal aspects of energy research. The NRP “Energy Turnaround” (CHF 37 million) will focus primarily on technological innovations, while the NRP “Options for Controlling Final Energy Consumption” (CHF 8 million) aims to prepare society for the energy turnaround. (04.07.2012)
Current issues SNSFinfo Applications & evaluation Funding policy International/Swisscore National Research Programmes National Centres of Competence in Research Communication & transfer
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Research Day: The SNSF visits EPFL
Expansion of “Horizonte”, the Swiss research magazine
As part of the Research Day held on 28 November 2012, the SNSF will be visiting EPFL to present the SNSF’s funding schemes at information stands and through lectures. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and to participate in workshops where individual funding schemes will be discussed in greater detail. The Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) as well as the research platforms Euresearch will also be hosting an information stand. Researchers from all universities are welcome to attend the Research Day. (03.09.2012)
The Swiss research magazine Horizonte is now jointly published by the SNSF and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. The enlarged magazine (available in German and French) will present more articles dealing with topics at the intersection of research and society. The magazine now has 44 pages per edition – 8 more than before. The first edition of the expanded research magazine was published on 1 September. The joint publication of Horizonte further strengthens the longstanding partnership between the two science organisations, SNSF and Swiss Academies. (03.09.2012)
Current Issues
Conclusion of the NCCR “MICS” after 12 years of research The National Centre of Competence in Research “Mobile Information and Communication Systems” (NCCR “MICS”) has had a lasting effect on the Swiss information and communication sciences landscape. Based at EPF Lausanne, this NCCR will come to an end this autumn after twelve years of research. On 4 and 5 September, some 150 people came together at the EPF Lausanne at the invitation of the NCCR ”MICS”. The occasion was the closing event of the NCCR after twelve years of research. Researchers used this opportunity to give a summary of the principal results of the NCCR in fields as far apart as national and international networks and the founding of companies.
280 Doctoral students and 10 Start-ups
Researchers from EPF Lausanne deploy SensorScope, a network of wireless sensors developed by the NCCR “MICS”.
Since 2001, the NCCR has been building bridges between different communities. For instance, it has set up links between informatics, the communication sciences and the environmental sciences. This dynamic has led to the creation of 15 professorships at EPF Lausanne and established a strong dialogue and
collaboration between EPF Lausanne and ETH Zurich. Finally, the NCCR has closely worked together with companies such as Microsoft, Nokia and Siemens and contributed to the launching of 10 start-ups. The NCCR also merits praise for having trained 280 doctoral students, many of whom have gone on to pursue a career in academia or business. At the same time, it has contributed to the promotion of women: through the programme ”Internet for girls”, the NCCR encouraged 2000 schoolgirls of between nine and eleven years of age to take lessons in computer sciences. The conclusion of the NCCR ”MICS” also marks the beginning of the end for the first series of 14 NCCRs, which will wind up their activities by early 2014 at the latest. PM
Projects with Romania and Bulgaria in the starting blocks The programmes for research cooperations with Romania and Bulgaria financed through the enlargement contribution have met with a great deal of interest: of the 112 applications submitted, the SNSF and its partners have approved 39 projects with a budget of CHF 14.6 million. They will start in autumn 2012. Calls for the two research cooperation programmes in key economic and social areas were issued last autumn and met with a positive response both in the partner countries and in Switzerland. The SNSF received 65 cooperation projects with Romanian and 47 with Bulgarian research groups. The applications were peer-reviewed by international reviewers and evaluated by two groups of experts set up specifically for these programmes.
Health, energy, agriculture The budget of CHF 10.4 million available for Romania will be sufficient to
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finance 26 research projects in the following areas: major diseases – cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity (8 projects); impacts of waste and pollutants on environment and climate (7); sustainable energy (7); economic growth and social disparities (4). With the funds of CHF 4.2 million reserved for Bulgaria, the SNSF will finance a total of 13 projects in the following fields: ecological forestry and agriculture (5 projects); social disparities and regional differences (4); drug development (4). Eightyfive percent of the funds derive from the Swiss enlargement contribution, while 15% are being contributed by the two
partner countries. The research projects will start in autumn 2012 and most of them will continue for three years. Through the enlargement contribution, Switzerland is participating in the reduction of economic and social disparities in the new EU member countries. On behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the SNSF is implementing the two programmes in collaboration with the Romanian funding organisation UEFISCDI and the Bulgarian Ministry of Science. EG www.snsf.ch > International > Europe
Picture from Research
A cultural policy milestone: Gottfried Keller – undisguised, integral and digital for the first time It's finally a reality: the 32-volume edition of Gottfried Keller's works entitled the “Historisch-Kritische Gottfried Keller-Ausgabe” (HKKA). It is the first complete edition of the author from Zurich, who commented like no one else on the development of Switzerland as a fledgling country during the 19th century. The edition also includes extensive unpublished writings left behind by this classic Swiss author. The HKKA is the first edition that satisfies modern methodological criteria. “The existing standard edition mixes different texts,” says the specialist in German studies Walter Morgenthaler, who is responsible for the HKKA. “With this new edition, Keller's writings are no longer disguised.” The completion of the HKKA, which was largely financed by the SNSF, is a cultural policy milestone. www.snsf.ch > Media > Press releases
The writings of Gottfried Keller, one of the classic authors of Swiss literature, are now for the first time available in a complete edition that meets academic standards of editing.
snsf internal National Research Council: Eight new members elected The Executive Committee of the Foundation Council of the SNSF elected the following persons as new members of the National Research Council at the end of August:
• Arjen Lenstra, Laboratory for cryptologic algorithms LACAL, EPF Lausanne – for informatics • Fritz Schlunegger, Institute of Geology, University of Bern – for geology
Humanities and Social Sciences division (as of 1 January 2013): • Ioannis Papadopoulos, Institute of Political and International Studies, University of Lausanne – for political sciences
Biology and Medicine division • Anita Rauch, Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Zurich – for eukaryotic genetics and genome analysis • Markus Fischer, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern – for plant ecology They took up office on 1 October 2012.
Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences division (as of 1 October 2012): • Eva Bayer-Flückiger, MATHGEOM Institute, EPF Lausanne – for mathematics
In addition, the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council has elected Peter Chen (ETH Zurich) as President of the Programmes division and Katia Saporiti (University of Zurich) as President of the Specialised Committee Careers. Both will take up office on 1 January 2013.
• Chris Bösch, Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern – for molecular imaging and
SNSFinfo print is published three times a year. • Edition: 14,500 (9,300 German, 4,000 French, 1,200 English) Published by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Wildhainweg 3, P.O. Box 8232, 3001 Berne Tel ++41 (0)31 308 22 22 • Fax ++41 (0)31 301 30 09 • E-mail com@snf.ch • website www.snsf.ch Produced by Communication division of the SNSF / Head of division: Philippe Trinchan
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functional pharmacology • Bernard Thorens, Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne – for integrative physiology They will take up office on 1 April 2013.
Editorial Board Alan Knaus (chief editor) Corinne Ammann, Simon Breitenmoser, Nathalie Cottet, Pascal Fischer (PFI), Evelyne Glättli (EG), Philippe Morel (PM), Xavier Pilloud, Omar Solanki Proofreading Birgit Roth, Galgenen (SZ) Design Agence Symbol, Granges-Paccot (FR) Printing Imprimerie Saint-Paul, Fribourg