International Collaborations (Switzerland)

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. The MOU provides for an international collaboration arrangement whereby U.S. researchers may receive funding from NSF and Swiss researchers may receive funding from SNSF. Through a "Lead Agency Opportunity", NSF and SNSF will allow proposers from both countries to submit a collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process at the Lead Agency. The Lead Agency will alternate between NSF and SNSF on an annual basis. Full submission guidance is in the Dear Colleague Letter: NSF-Swiss NSF Lead Agency Opportunity (NSF 23-049).

NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering and SNSF hosted an informational webinar in June 2023 to share information about this activity, including proposal preparation requirements and timelines. The webinar recording is available here and the webinar slides are posted here.

NSF is the Lead Agency for this activity between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. For full proposals to be considered, the project team should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to SwissNSF-Collaboration@nsf.gov. EOIs will be accepted at any time for no-deadline programs. For programs with a deadline, EOIs are to be submitted at least 60 calendar days in advance of the program deadline. NSF intends to communicate EOI eligibility decisions to the U.S. PIs within 30 calendar days of EOI submission. If the EOI has not been approved by NSF prior to submission of a full proposal, the proposal may not be considered for evaluation (i.e., may be returned without review). The Expression of Interest form is found here: NSF-Swiss NSF EOI.

Proposals will be accepted for collaborative research in areas at the intersection of SNSF’s three research divisions and participating NSF programs. Proposals are expected to adhere to the research areas, funding limits, and grant durations for these participating NSF programs and for the SNSF programs from which funding is sought. As details vary by NSF program, U.S. Principal Investigators (PI) are encouraged to contact program directors of pertinent NSF programs for specific guidance. Program director contact information is provided within the following program links.

DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (BIO) PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:

NSF/BIO/DEB: Division of Environmental Biology
Division of Environmental Biology Core Programs (DEB) (NSF 23-549 or future versions replacing it)
Core cluster areas include:
Ecosystem Sciences (ES)
Evolutionary Processes (EP)
Population and Community Ecology (PCE)
Systematics and Biodiversity Sciences (SBS)

NSF/BIO/IOS: Division of Integrative Organismal Systems
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs (IOS) (NSF 23-547 or future versions replacing it)
Core cluster areas include:
Behavioral Systems
Developmental Systems
Neural Systems
Physiological and Structural Systems (PSS)
Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP)

NSF/BIO/MCB: Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences: Investigator-Initiated Research Projects (MCB) (NSF 23-548 or future versions replacing it)
Core cluster areas include:
Genetic Mechanisms
Cellular Dynamics and Function
Molecular Biophysics
Systems and Synthetic Biology

DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING (ENG) PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:

NSF/ENG/CBET: Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
Biophotonics (PD 23-7236 or future versions replacing it)
Biosensing (PD 20-7909 or future versions replacing it)
Catalysis (PD 20-1401 or future versions replacing it)
Cellular and Biochemical Engineering (PD 20-1491 or future versions replacing it)
Combustion and Fire Systems (PD 23-1407 or future versions replacing it)
Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) (PD 20-5342 or future versions replacing it)
Electrochemical Systems (PD 23-7644 or future versions replacing it)
Engineering of Biomedical Systems (PD 20-5345 or future versions replacing it)
Environmental Engineering (PD 20-1440 or future versions replacing it)
Environmental Sustainability (PD 23-7643 or future versions replacing it)
Fluid Dynamics (PD 23-1443 or future versions replacing it)
Interfacial Engineering (PD 23-1417 or future versions replacing it)
Nanoscale Interactions (PD 23-1179 or future versions replacing it)
Particulate and Multiphase Processes (PD 23-1415 or future versions replacing it)
Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics (PD 20-1403 or future versions replacing it)
Thermal Transport Processes (PD 23-1406 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/ENG/CMMI: Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation
Advanced Manufacturing (AM) (PD 19-088Y or future versions replacing it)
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) (PD 19-7479 or future versions replacing it)
Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) (PD 19-1631 or future versions replacing it)
Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics (DCSD) (PD 22-7569 or future versions replacing it)
Engineering Design and System Engineering (EDSE) (PD 19-072Y or future versions replacing it)
Engineering for Civil Infrastructure (ECI) (PD 19-073Y or future versions replacing it)
Humans, Disasters, and the Built Environment (HDBE) (PD 19-1638 or future versions replacing it)
Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MOMS) (PD 19-1630 or future versions replacing it)
Mind, Machine and Motor Nexus (M3X) (PD 19-058Y or future versions replacing it)
Operations Engineering (OE) (PD 19-006Y or future versions replacing it)

NSF/ENG/ECCS: Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems
Communications, Circuits, and Sensing-Systems (CCSS) (PD 18-7564 or future versions replacing it)
Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) (PD 18-1517 or future versions replacing it)
Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN) (PD 18-7607 or future versions replacing it)

DIRECTORATE FOR GEOSCIENCES (GEO) PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:

NSF/GEO/AGS: Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Aeronomy (PD 98-1521 or future versions replacing it)
Atmospheric Chemistry (PD 98-1524 or future versions replacing it)
Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics (CLD) (PD 06-5740 or future versions replacing it)
Magnetospheric Physics (PD 98-5750 or future versions replacing it)
Paleoclimate (PD 98-1530 or future versions replacing it)
Physical and Dynamic Meteorology (PDM) (PD 22-1525 or future versions replacing it)
Solar Terrestrial (PD 98-1523 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/GEO/EAR: Division of Earth Sciences Core Programs
Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry (GG) (NSF 22-578 or future versions replacing it)
Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics (GLD) (NSF 21-547 or future versions replacing it)
Geophysics (PH) (NSF 22-563 or future versions replacing it)
Hydrologic Sciences (HS) (NSF 22-540 or future versions replacing it)
Petrology and Geochemistry (CH) (NSF 22-560 or future versions replacing it)
Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology (SGP) (NSF 22-597 or future versions replacing it)
Tectonics (NSF 22-515, or future versions replacing it)

NSF/GEO/OCE: Division of Ocean Sciences
Biological Oceanography (BioOce) (PD 23-1650 or future versions replacing it)
Chemical Oceanography (PD 98-1670 or future versions replacing it)
Marine Geology and Geophysics (PD 17-1620 or future versions replacing it)
Physical Oceanography (PD 98-1610 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/GEO/OPP: Division of Polar Programs
Antarctic Research Not Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program Field Support (NSF 23-508 or future versions replacing it)
Antarctic Research Requiring U.S. Antarctic Program Fieldwork (NSF 23-509 or future versions replacing it)
Arctic Research Opportunities (NSF 23-572 or future versions replacing it)

DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES (MPS) PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:

NSF/MPS/AST: Division of Astronomical Sciences
Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG) (NSF 22-624 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/MPS/DMS: Division of Mathematical Sciences Disciplinary Research Programs
Algebra and Number Theory (PD 20-1264 or future versions replacing it)
Analysis (PD 20-1281 or future versions replacing it)
Applied Mathematics (PD 16-1266 or future versions replacing it)
Combinatorics (PD 18-7970 or future versions replacing it)
Computational Mathematics (PD 16-1271 or future versions replacing it)
Foundations (PD 18-1268 or future versions replacing it)
Geometric Analysis (PD 22-1265 or future versions replacing it)
Mathematical Biology (PD 22-7334 or future versions replacing it)
Probability (PD 18-1263 or future versions replacing it)
Statistics (PD 18-1269 or future versions replacing it)
Topology (PD 22-1267 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/MPS/PHY: Division of Physics
Division of Physics: Investigator-Initiated Research Projects (PHY) (NSF 21-5913 or future versions replacing it)
Program contacts are listed here: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/programs.jsp?org=PHY.

DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES (SBE) PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS:

NSF/SBE/SES: Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) (PD 19-120Y or future versions replacing it)
Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (DRMS) (PD 98-1321 or future versions replacing it)
Law & Science (LS) (PD 21-128Y or future versions replacing it)
Science and Technology Studies (STS) (NSF 22-629 or future versions replacing it)
Science of Organizations (SoO) (PD 11-8031 or future versions replacing it)
Science of Science: Discovery, Communication, and Impact (SoS:DCL) (PD 19-125Y or future versions replacing it)
Security and Preparedness (SAP) (PD 19-118Y or future versions replacing it)
Sociology (PD 98-1331 or future versions replacing it)

NSF/SBE/SMA: SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (SMA)
Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (B2) (NSF 22-638 or future versions replacing it)

Office of Director/Office of International Science and Engineering (OD/OISE)
OISE helps to coordinate the overall engagement between NSF and SNSF.

Contact: Stacey Standridge, SwissNSF-Collaboration@nsf.gov

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