Bern Interdisciplinary-Grants (BIND Grants)

What is the goal?

The goal is to promote interdisciplinary research at the University of Bern. The submission of large interdisciplinary research projects requires intensive collaboration between partners from different disciplines. The BIND Grants are intended to help research group leaders better prepare for the submission of applications to national and international programs. In this way, the position of Bernese researchers in the field of interdisciplinary research can be improved.

What is supported?

The BIND Grants provide seed funding for new teams of two to four researchers from the University of Bern, Inselspital or Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste (UPD) who intend to jointly submit a main application for interdisciplinary project funding to a funding agency. Support is provided for the preparation of the following main applications: interdisciplinary project funding from the SNSF, ERC Synergy, or applications for equivalent collaborative funding from national or international funding agencies. The project must be interdisciplinary in nature, i.e. at least two disciplines must be represented.

The amount granted per application is usually CHF 75,000 to CHF 150,000. The BIND Grant is primarily intended to finance a researcher (for up to 18 months) who, under the guidance of all applicants involved, will carry out preliminary scientific work for the submission of a research proposal (main application).

How does it work?

• Research group leaders (incl. individual researchers) from all faculties and centers of the University of Bern, Inselspital and Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste (UPD) who are also eligible to apply with the corresponding funding agency (e.g. academic position, employment, max. number of permitted projects per funding instrument) are eligible to apply for BIND Grants.
• Applicants must come from at least two disciplines.
• The applicants must not have already applied for an SNSF Sinergia in the same composition in the last four years or have submitted a main application as specified in Art. 4 of the BIND Grant regulations.
• All applicants must be employed at the University of Bern, Inselspital or UPD for the entire duration of the main project.
• The main project must be based at the University of Bern, Inselspital or UPD.
• The application must explain why the project is interdisciplinary within the meaning of Art. 2 of the BIND Grant regulations.
• The evaluation will be based on the following criteria: a) interdisciplinarity of the BIND Grant project and the main project, b) scientific quality of the project, c) innovativeness of the project, d) feasibility of the project, e) contribution of the BIND Grant to the acquisition of the main application.
• The call for proposals specifies the minimum number of points that must be achieved in the interdisciplinarity criterion.
• The best-qualified applications will be supported within the limits of the funds available.
• The exact rules can be found in the regulations and in the application form.
• Please note: No applicaton form is currently available. The completed application form (including all required information) can probably be uploaded via a website. The proposal can be written in German or English.

What documents are required for the proposal submission?

• Fill in the online form: name, institue, address, research discipline, etc.
• The following documents (as individual pdf files) must be uploaded for the proposal submission:
  • Project description (max. 10 pages): Taking into account the criteria according to Art. 9.2 of the regulations: scientific quality of the project, innovativeness of the project, feasibility of the project, contribution of the "BIND Grant" to the acquisition of the main application; budget and timetable (references can go beyond the 10 pages);
  • Description of the interdisciplinary aspect of the "BIND Grant" and the main application (1/2 A4 page): taking into account the criteria according to Art. 2.1 of the regulations;
  • CV + Track record (max. 4 pages) or Science CV (according to the specifications of the SNSF) of each person involved in the "BIND Grant" application.

Application

The application with all necessary documents (in pdf format) must be submitted here to the Grants Office at the University of Bern. 
Please note that the application process must be completed in a single step without interruption. Please ensure that all necessary information and documents are prepared in advance to allow an uninterrupted process.