SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowship (SPF)
Mobility and training fellowships for excellent early-career researchers
The information on this page is intended to be used in addition to the official documents for the SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships (SPF) 2024 call, in particular the Call Document.
CALL DEADLINES
Proposal submission: 2 December 2024
Applications are submitted via mySNF.
The SNSF template must be used.
The Grants Office assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information given here.
Last update: 19 November 2024
| Eligibility | PhD not more than 8 years before deadline |
|---|---|
| Mobility rule | Cannot have lived, worked or studied in Switzerland for more than 1 year in the last 3 years prior to 2 December 2024 |
| Budget | Fixed salary + project costs |
| Duration | 12-24 months |
| Time commitment | 100% (80% possible under some circumstances) |
SNSF Checklist for Applicants (from the SNSF SPF webpage)
Eligibility
Proposals may be submitted by researchers of any nationality from all disciplines for a duration of 12-24 months. Below is a summary of the eligibility criteria (see Article 1 of the "Call document" for the full text):
Degree
- At the time of the submission deadline, applicants must hold a doctoral degree (PhD). A medical degree will be accepted only if it corresponds to a doctoral degree (PhD, MD-PhD) or if the researcher has been appointed to a position that requires doctoral equivalency (e.g., professorship). Medical degrees corresponding to basic medical training (MD) will not be accepted.
- Applicants who have defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally been awarded the degree are eligible to apply.
Eligibility window
- Proposals must be submitted within 8 years after the obtainment of the relevant degree. The relevant dates are the examination or thesis defense and the submission deadline.
- This time window may be extended if one or more of the reasons set out in Clause 1.11 of the General implementation regulations are met. In the event of maternity, the relevant period is extended by 18 months per child. Other reasons for extension include: adoption or parental leave, inability to work due to illness or accident, care duties, etc.
Mobility rule
- Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately prior to the submission deadline.
Work quota
- In general, applicants must commit themselves to work 100%. Part-time work corresponding to at least 80% is possible if the applicant has clinical or care duties, or is pursuing courses at a higher education institution to further their career.
- Researchers doing clinical work must devote at least 80% of the funded work quota to the project and training related to the project.
Multiple applications and duplicate funding
- Proposals may only be submitted for a duration of support for which the applicant has not applied to another SNSF career grant. In the event of a parallel submission, the SPF proposal will not be considered for evaluation. This rule does not apply to Postdoc.Mobility return grant applications.
Further submission restrictions
- Applicants whose proposal was rejected under the SNSF SPF 2023 call may only submit a revised application involving the same host institution if an evaluation score of at least 6.3 was achieved. Applicants whose proposal was rejected under the SNSF SPF 2021 or SNSF SPF 2022 calls may resubmit a revised application involving the same host institution, regardless of the evaluation score.
Deadlines
Proposals are submitted online on mySNF, the web platform of the SNSF. If you do not already have a mySNF user account, then you will need to open an account. You should aim to do this no later than one month before the deadline.
The deadlines of the SPF Call 2024:
| Opening of the call | 2 September 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 2 December 2024 |
| Evaluation | February - May 2025 |
| Communication of results | June 2025 |
| Earliest project start | 1 July 2025 |
| Latest possible project start | 1 July 2026 |
Budget
The fellowship covers the postdoctoral fellows' salary and social security contributions as well as project costs.
For researchers doing clinical work, the SNSF covers only the share of the salary awarded for the research work (at least 80%). The share allocated for clinical work (up to 20%) must be financed by the research institution.
Project Costs
Project costs, including research costs directly linked to the implementation of the project, training and networking contributions, are also covered. Project costs must not exceed CHF 24'000 for a two-year grant. If the duration of the fellowship is less than 2 years, the maximum amount is proportionately smaller.
Salary of applicant
SNSF SPF applicants with the University of Bern must use the following salary rates (i.e., the standard salary rates for an Advanced Postdoc at Uni Bern):
Y1 CHF 102'150
Y2 CHF 104'487
These are the figures that you need to add for your own salary to the data container "Requested Funding" in mySNF.
Note: This is an annual gross salary excluding social security contributions. The employer’s social security contributions for the University of Bern are 15% and will be automatically calculated by mySNF.
Further social security contributions
There are two kinds of further allowances in the Canton of Bern:
- “Betreuungszulage / Care allowance” – You need to budget this care allowance under “further social security contributions”. The TOTAL allowance is CHF 250/month for one child (CHF 3'000/year), CHF 180 for two (CHF 2'160/year), CHF 110/month for three (CHF 1'320/year) and CHF 40/month for four (CHF 480/year) children. Make sure that you explain your request under “general remarks” (e.g. care allowance for one child).
- “Kinderzulage / Child allowance” – This allowance will be paid by the “Ausgleichskasse” and therefore you do not need to request this money from the SNSF.
Open science
For resources, guidance and advice on open access publications and research data as well as on data management plans, your contact is the University of Bern’s Open Science Team.
Under the SNSF SPF call, grantees must guarantee open access to all peer-reviewed scientific publications of their results as set out in the SNSF Funding Regulations and the Implementation Regulations.
For further information on SNSF policy, please consult the SNSF open research data webpage. A data management plan (DMP) will be required for approved grants. The necessary funding (if applicable) must already be included in the grant application.
UBERN description
You may use the document below to help you write the parts about the host institution and training in the proposal. It contains key details about the University of Bern as well as information about training opportunities.
Host letters
Before applying, please discuss the conditions of the project and how you intend to carry it out with the person who will be the supervisor in your proposal. Contact your future host institute and supervisor as early as possible to obtain the two documents that must be uploaded to your application in mySNF: 1) the confirmation letter from your future host institute and 2) the support letter from your future supervisor. Applications that do not include such statements by the submission deadline will not be evaluated.
1) Confirmation letter from host institute
The confirmation letter from the host institute must be on the official letterhead of the host institute and signed (digital signature is acceptable) of the head of the host institute/department. This confirmation must state clearly that the necessary infrastructure is available for the duration of the grant. The start and end dates of the grant must be mentioned as well.
2) Support letter from the supervisor
Additionally, applicants must provide a written and binding commitment letter from the supervisor at the host institute confirming the supervisor's willingness to mentor and support the applicant. The letter from the supervisor must be on the official letterhead of the host institute and signed (digital signature is acceptable).
Note: No templates are provided by the SNSF or the Grants Office.
Guides & tips
The SNSF has prepared a helpful guide and a checklist for SPF applications, which applicants should follow carefully. It may also be useful to closely read the evaluation form and the criteria used by SNSF evaluators to assess proposals.
Although the following documents refer to Horizon Europe MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship applications, they can be helpful for preparing your SNSF SPF proposal as well. We recommend consulting them when writing your proposal.
Sample proposals
As this is a transitional measure, experience with the SNSF SPF is limited. At present, the Grants Office cannot provide any sample applications. We recommend that you contact successful applicants directly and ask them to share their strategies and experiences. A list of SPF projects at the University of Bern can be found on the SNSF Data Portal.
FAQs
If you have any questions, please consult the FAQ tab on the SNSF SPF webpage or contact the Grants Office.