The Swiss Lung Association supports research projects and researchers are invited to submit their proposal.

Application

The research grant application process consists of two stages: 

1. Preselection stage: Letter of Intent 
   Applicants are required to submit via online tool a Letter of Intent as the preselection stage that will be reviewed by the Research Commission of the Swiss Lung Association. This stage is a preliminary step to assess the relevance and potential of the proposed projects. It is a preselection phase. A certain number of applicants will be invited to submit full application.  
    
2. Full Application stage: 
   Selected applicants with the most promising projects will be invited to submit a comprehensive and detailed application form for the second stage. 

The following topics are supported:
Projects related to lung health as defined below. The budget range for a single grant usually is CHF 40,000.- to 100,000.-

a) Pneumology: basic research (experimental research) and clinical research,
b) Social medicine/science, public health and health economics,
c) Epidemiology (dissemination, causes and effects of diseases in populations),
d) Air pollution control and air quality,
e) Prevention

Researchers working in Switzerland are entitled to participate and apply for support for a research project of their choice in the above-mentioned fields by submitting the relevant application form electronically. Main applicants can only have one project in progress at a time. Therefore, a new application will only be considered after the completion of a previous project. 

Preference will be given to researchers under 45 years old (early career stages). 

The evaluation procedure is divided into two phases: Formal selection and scientific assessment.

Requirements for formal selection

• Compliance with the deadline
• Online submission of the duly completed application
• Submission in English
• Authorised signature of the principal investigator
• The PI of the study must be employed at a Swiss institution
• Applicants must comply with the ethical principles and guidelines of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAM)
• The Research Fund of Swiss Lung Association does not support any project from applicants with relation to the tobacco industry

Project grants are awarded through a competitive process according to the following criteria.
 

Assessment criteria for scientific evaluation

• Consistency with the activities, topics and focal points of Research Fund of the Swiss Lung Association
• Originality of the project, a novel idea, vision, aim of the study, its comparative advantage
• Scientific quality (study design and concept, theoretical approach, working hypothesis)
• Feasibility (methods, working process, project environment, access to infrastructure, timeframe) and cost/benefit ratio, budget justification, within the budget of the Research Fund of the Swiss Lung Association
• References (expertise and qualification of applicant(s) and/or the research team regarding the field of study, pilot study if applicable, mentoring, «letter of support»)
• Financing of project secured

Final decisions are communicated to applicants after the relevant meeting of the Research Committee, which will take place approximately three to four months after the submission date. The decision of the Research Committee has to be accepted, legal recourse is not contestable.