Swiss Leading House Africa Research Partnership Grants, Switzerland

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Countries: Applicants must represent a partnership between Switzerland and any of the following African countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

• Acceptable Course or Subjects: The grant supports research in any academic discipline offered by the participating institutions.

• Admissible Criteria:

  • Applicants must be researchers affiliated with a Swiss higher education institution (including cantonal universities, federal institutes of technology, research institutes, universities of applied sciences, and universities of teacher education).

  • Swiss lead applicants must be employed as scientists before, during, and after the project duration.

  • Joint proposals must be developed collaboratively with an African partner.

  • The Swiss applicant will serve as the primary correspondent with the Leading House.

  • Career stage must be indicated:

    • Early Career: up to CHF 15,000

    • Intermediate Career: up to CHF 25,000

    • Advanced Career: up to CHF 40,000

Offered Benefits

Successful applicants will receive funding to support research collaboration activities, including pilot research, joint workshops, mobility exchanges, and preparatory work for larger grant applications. The funding amount depends on the lead applicant’s career stage, with a maximum award of CHF 40,000.

Application Process

Interested applicants must prepare and submit a joint proposal with their African partner by the deadline. All submissions must be made by the Swiss lead applicant. Detailed application guidelines, templates, and the online submission portal can be accessed through the Swiss Leading House Africa website.