SNSF Independent Researcher Calls

The School of Engineering (STI) of EPFL is composed of five Institutes, grouping the laboratories working in specific fields of Engineering, as follows:

The STI and its Institutes apply an internal review process of the potential applications to the following programs:

 

SNSF Ambizione – STI application process

Grantees of the Ambizione program are hosted by a laboratory, in an Institute of the STI, and need to get the support of all corresponding parties, up to the Dean of the STI.

Particularly, if you would like to join the STI by applying to the Ambizione grant, you must:

step
1

contact your potential host laboratory and Institute in STI and get the support of the head of the laborator and Institute Director for your application. You must contact your hosts (both lab and institute) as soon as possible to inquire about their internal deadline and requirements.

step
2

pre-register your application according to the EPFL Research Office (ReO) instructions, which can be found in the EPFL toolkit for the Ambizione grant here. Please contact the EPFL Research Office (ReO) at research@epfl.ch in case of questions. To pre-register your application, you need to include the SNSF “Detailed confirmation letter” signed by both the host unit professor and the host Institute Director. Please note that the SNSF “Detailed confirmation letter” template will be made available by the SNSF (and included in the ReO EPFL toolkit) oon August 1st 2023.

  • The STI deadline to pre-register your application with the ReO is 1 September 2023.
  • Applications pre-registered after the above-mentioned deadline will not be considered by the STI
step
3

wait for the STI to review, jointly with the respective host laboratory and Institute, your pre-application.

  • The STI will notify you whether your application is supported or not, at latest by 1 October 2023
  • If your application is supported, you will be re-directed to the ReO to obtain the General Confirmation Letter that you need to include in your application to the funding body.

Overall, the following calendar applies to this process*:

Call Call Opens Call Closes STI deadline to pre-register your application with the ReO Latest date at which the STI communicates you whether your application is supported or not
SNSF Ambizione 1 Aug. 2023 1 Nov. 2023 1 Sept. 2023 1 Oct. 2023
Call SNSF Ambizione
Call Opens 1 Aug. 2023
Call Closes 1 Nov. 2023
STI deadline to pre-register your application with the ReO 1 Sept. 2023
Latest date at which the STI communicates you whether your application is supported or not 1 Oct. 2023

* Please note that some Institutes might have deadlines for the preliminary process described at Step 1. Please check with your host whether this is the case.

In case of questions, do not hesitate to contact research@epfl.ch.

SNSF Starting Grants – STI application process

Please note that the Institute of Materials (IMX) and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IGM) will not consider applications to the SNSF Starting Grants.

Grantees of SNSF Starting Grants are hosted by an Institute of the STI and need to get the support of the Institute and the Dean of the STI.

step
1

Pre-register your application here. To pre-register, you have to:

  • Specify the tentative title and short abstract describing your research project (1 page max).
  • Specify your host Institute at the STI – Please note that the Institute of Materials (IMX) and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IGM) will not consider applications to the SNSF Starting Grants.
  • Specify whether special lab space and equipment will be needed to deploy your research project.
  • Upload your CV.

Please contact research.sti@epfl.ch in case of questions.

  • The STI deadline to pre-register your application is 1st September 2023.
  • The pre-registration portal will close on 1st September at 23h55 anywhere on earth (strict deadline). Late applications will not be accepted.
step
2

Wait for the STI to review, jointly with the respective host Institute, your pre-application.

  • The STI will notify you whether you are invited for an interview, at the latest by 1st October 2023. Interviews will take place around mid-October.
  • For applicants invited to the interview step, the final decision on the STI support will be communicated at latest by early November 2023.

Overall, the following calendar applies to this process*:

Call (TBC) Call Opens (TBC) Call Closes (TBC) STI deadline to pre-register your application with the STI Rejection or invitation to interview sent by the STI Latest date at which the STI communicates you whether your application is supported or not
SNSF Starting Grants 1 Nov. 2023 (TBC) 1 Feb. 2024 (TBC) 1 Sept. 2023 1 Oct. 2023 1 Nov. 2023
Call (TBC) SNSF Starting Grants
Call Opens (TBC) 1 Nov. 2023 (TBC)
Call Closes (TBC) 1 Feb. 2024 (TBC)
STI deadline to pre-register your application with the STI 1 Sept. 2023
Rejection or invitation to interview sent by the STI 1 Oct. 2023
Latest date at which the STI communicates you whether your application is supported or not 1 Nov. 2023

* Please note that the pre-registration deadline of 1st September 2023 is a strict deadline and applies even if the SNSF calendar has not been published yet. Modifications to the calendar for the other steps of the process (i.e., interview and communication of support) might occur depending on the official opening dates of the calls that will be announced by the SNSF (see IMPORTANT NOTICE hereafter).

In case of questions, please do not hesitate to contact research.sti@epfl.ch.

IMPORTANT NOTICE