Research Network Grant

The Research Network Grants supports opportunities for trilateral or multilateral research networks in the Asia Pacific. We welcome applications from Swiss-based project leads who wish to develop joint research initiatives or centre-to-centre links with universities or research institutes involving at least two or more of the eligible partner countries in the region. We welcome proposals in any field or discipline, including fundamental and applied research.

You can apply for this funding call if you are a Swiss-based researcher. You must be employed at postdoctoral level or above at one of the eligible Swiss federal and cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education and public research institutes for the entire duration of the project, with a minimum employment level of 0.5 FTE (50%).see full list of eligible Swiss institutions

Specific eligibility requirements are provided in the call guidelines below.  

All proposals need to include Project Co-Leads from universities, institutes of higher education or research institutes in at least two eligible countries of the Asia Pacific.

Partner institutions are eligible if they are based in: 

Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN member states (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam).

Activities we support

• Interdisciplinary research visits, meetings and workshops to develop new research initiatives, building on key respective strengths and capabilities between Swiss institutions and at least two countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Preparation of ambitious external funding bids.
• International PhD training activities.
• Co-creation and application of research in new local or regional contexts and communities in the Asia-Pacific to address important societal challenges.

Up to CHF50,000 may be awarded per grant.

All proposals need to demonstrate co-funding (cash or in-kind) from the Project Co-Lead(s) in the Asia-Pacific.

Proposals will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Potential to build sustainable research networks between Switzerland and the Asia-Pacific, involving at least 2 countries in the region.
• Interdisciplinarity and potential to leverage complementary strengths.
• Pathway to academic and/or societal impact (focus on achievable results that can lead to high-impact outputs and the potential to leverage future funding).
• Feasibility, including work plan, timeline and budget.
• Diversity of the research team.
• Level of co-funding commitment.