Swiss Projects

Solution-oriented Research for Development (SOR4D)

The Solution-oriented Research for Development (SOR4D) programme is a joint funding instrument between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) that builds on experiences and lessons learnt in previous joint programmes. The SOR4D programme is being implemented in the “Decade of Action” that is accelerating efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The SOR4D programme will operate from 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of about 19 million Swiss Francs.

Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development

The Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development (r4d programme) is being implemented jointly by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) from 2012-2023. The joint programme supports relevant research for development aimed at solving global problems in poor countries.

The main programme (2014-2023) consists of five thematic modules (Social Conflicts, Employment, Food Security, Ecosystems, Public Health) and a module for research without pre-defined topics.

In addition, Transformation acceleration grants (2021-2022) allow teams of r4d researchers and non-academic stakeholders to make use of the knowledge, tools and technologies developed within r4d projects through translation and implementation initiatives.

Synthesis Projects (2017-2022) foster the contextualisation and integration of research findings and procedural learnings beyond individual r4d projects into a larger body of knowledge in the science-society-policy interface.

The website k4d.ch displays tailor-made products for an interested public and for professionals in the field of sustainable development cooperation.

Bilateral Research Programmes

The Confederation's international science policy focuses on cooperation with Europe and North America, and with other countries that have a significant potential for scientific and technological development. The federal government's bilateral cooperation programmes, launched in 2008, aim to intensify research and innovation cooperation with these regions.

Joint research projects (JRPs) are conducted on behalf of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in cooperation with funding agencies in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Vietnam.

In the Leading House model, selected Swiss institutes of higher education are commissioned by SERI to set up cooperation instruments for seed funding and innovative pilot projects under the framework of the bilateral programmes. The following Leading Houses have been commissioned to run smaller pilot projects regionally in 2021 to 2024:

• North Africa and Middle East: University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO)
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in collaboration with the University of Basel
• Latin America: University of St Gallen (HSG)
• East and Southeast Asia: ETH Zurich (ETHZ)
• South Asia and Iran: Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)

SUDAC – swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network

The aim of the SUDAC Network is to strengthen collaborations between different types of Swiss academic institutions (Universities, Federal Institutes of Technologies, Universities of Applied Sciences, Schools of Education) active in research/education partnerships with the Global South. Together with institutions from the Global South they created an enabling environment for collaborative educational and research activities. The project focuses on a number of thematic areas with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030). The project was developed bottom up and KFPE had a leading role in the small writing team, including representatives of all types of higher education. The project started in 2017.

TRANSFORM

In 2020, the SDC launched a new research programme called TRANSFORM (2020–30). This programme aims to co-finance applied, inter- and trans-disciplinary research projects that have a transformative effect on society and thus accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda. From a call for proposals, the SDC selected four research projects:

• Combacal
• hands4health
• Agripath
• Innovative Financing for Education to Leave No One Behind

These projects respond to concrete needs of development actors and have been initiated by consortiums composed of research institutes from Switzerland and the Global South as well as implementing partners (NGOs, governmental actors, private companies). At present, no call for proposals is open.

Swiss Network for International Studies

The SNIS promotes academic research in the interdisciplinary area of International Studies with an interest in phenomena that transcend traditional nation-state boundaries. It supports different perspectives by valuing contributions from a diverse group of academic researchers including political scientists, economists, legal scholars, social and cultural anthropologists, historians, sociologists, geographers, environmental and public health scientists, as well as other academics.

International Graduate School North-South (IGS-North-South)

The IGS North-South is dedicated to advancing sustainable development worldwide. It focuses on postgraduate education at the PhD level to establish a leading international research network that analyses the impacts and opportunities of global change. The IGS North-South emphasizes an integrative, partnership-based research approach, as well as innovation and application. More than 100 PhD candidates from around the world are currently enrolled in the programme.

The IGS North-South was developed within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South. It is based on an inter-university agreement between the universities of Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Zurich in Switzerland, and selected cooperation agreements with leading universities from countries in the global South and East.

Swiss Networks for Research Collaboration

Swiss Research Institutions with long experience in partnership projects

Research Projects Databases