In 2018, the Administrative Offices conducted from start to finish the evaluation process for 6,073 applications. It approached 28,835 external experts for a review and processed 9,536 reviews.
The National Research Council and its evaluation commissions discussed the applications at 164 meetings. 460 researchers were invited to present their project and answer questions. The Administrative Offices organised the meetings and interviews, took the minutes, and implemented the resulting decisions.
Researchers are obliged to submit scientific and financial reports on the funded projects. In the year under review, the SNSF received 8,906 reports, along with 9,415 staff turnover notices, change requests and other messages
The Administrative Offices conducted the first ever evaluation process for the new funding schemes Eccellenza, PRIMA and Postdoc.Mobility. Eccellenza grants were awarded to 51 researchers who are pursuing an academic career or are already on their way to obtaining a permanent professorship. 22 women researchers who have the potential for a professorship were funded thanks to PRIMA. And 160 scientists were awarded a Postdoc.Mobility fellowship by the SNSF, which gives them the opportunity to conduct a research stay abroad after the doctorate.
In close collaboration with the National Research Council, the Administrative Offices last year devised the SNSF’s strategy until 2025 and produced the multi-year programme 2021–2024. In spring 2019, the SNSF submitted the multi-year programme to the Swiss government.
More than 100,000 searches were entered in the public research database P3 in 2018. The database contains detailed information about all funded projects since 1975
In the course of the year, the SNSF strengthened its communication activities on social media, especially Twitter. Around 250 tweets reached over 8,500 users. The Administrative Offices published 97news articles and 47calls for proposals and dispatched 19 newsletters to over 22,000 recipients.