With resources from the Käthe Zingg-Schwichtenberg Fund, the SAMS has supported research projects in biomedical ethics – namely clinical and public health ethics – since 2006. The annual call for proposals is either thematically open and primarily addressed to young researchers, or focused on a specific topic.
2024 call for proposals: Seed Grants for junior researchers
The 2024 call was thematically open and intended for junior researchers in biomedical ethics. KZS Seed Grants allow grantees to explore an innovative research idea, to realize a small, independent pilot project and/or to prepare their own project proposal to be submitted to a larger funding agency. The objective of the call was to support junior researchers in obtaining independent research experience, facilitating the transition to the next step of their academic career.
Participation requirements
Junior postdoctoral researchers with a non-permanent position, aiming at an academic career in biomedical ethics, in particular in clinical and public health ethics, are the main target audience of KZS Seed Grants. Doctoral students can apply if the Seed Grant is meant to facilitate the transition to the postdoctoral period.
Candidates must be active at a research institution in Switzerland by the time of the submission deadline and for the intended duration of the grant. Applications must have a clear ethical focus: The ethical dimension of the project and its relevance for medical practice must be explicitly described in the application.
Funding and framework
For the 2024 KZS call, a total of CHF 250'000 was available. Per Seed Grant, up to CHF 80’000 could be awarded for a maximum period of 18 months. Applicants could not apply for more than one grant at a time.
Use of the grant
The grant money can be used to finance the costs of a small, independent pilot project or to generate preliminary data for a research proposal to be submitted to a larger funding agency. It can also cover a portion of the applicant’s salary during the grant period.
Projects must be in the planning stage; funding is not provided for ongoing projects.
Evaluation
Applications meeting the formal requirements were evaluated in a two-step procedure by the KZS Committee of the SAMS: Written applications were first evaluated based on the evaluation criteria defined in the KZS Fund Regulations, the specifications of the call 2024, and the expected added value of the grant for the candidate’s next career step. Selected applicants were then invited to present their project proposal during an interview with the KZS Committee.
Results of the 2024 call
Of the 16 submitted proposals, 3 Seed Grants have been awarded to junior researchers for a total amount of CHF 219’658. The synopsis (pdf) gives an overview of all the projects supported by the KZS Fund.