Leading House MENA: Research Partnership Grants

These may include desk-based research, fieldwork, feasibility studies, archival research, qualitative interviews, surveys, artistic practices, design thinking, or other forms of collaborative work, depending on the needs and methods of the discipline.

Aims and Objectives

• The RPGs aim to support the development of new joint project proposals or to connect existing, independently funded projects in Switzerland and in the MENA partner countries into long-lasting collaborations.
• Open to all scientific fields, the RPGs recognize and support a wide range of research approaches and methodologies.
• These may include desk-based research, fieldwork, feasibility studies, archival research, qualitative interviews, surveys, artistic practices, design thinking, or other forms of collaborative work, depending on the needs and methods of the discipline.
• The ultimate objective is to build partnerships that can lead to applications for further funding from other agencies (e.g., national funding agencies or EU funding schemes), and/or to develop long-term partnerships between two or more institutions or research groups.

Funding Information

• The maximum amount for a research partnership grant is CHF 25,000.

Eligible Costs

• Material
• Work-related institutional costs
• Travel
• Subsistence costs
• Publications
• Subcontracting
• Conferences and workshops (attendance)
• Conferences and workshops (organisation)
• Overhead

Eligibility Criteria

• The call is open to all scientific disciplines and fields of research. However, proposals planning developments for military application will be rejected.
• All scientists of Swiss federal and cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teachers’ education, as well as public research institutions (as defined in art. 5 of the Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation), are eligible to apply.
• The Swiss scientist is the main applicant. He or she must hold a position, either permanent or lasting until the end of the project, and have a research or practical experience of three years or more.
• The principal investigator/researcher in the MENA region must be affiliated to an accredited university or a public research institute and must hold a faculty or scientist position in addition to several years of research or practical experience.
• The following countries of the MENA region are eligible for this call: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Occupied Palestinian territory, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Evaluation Criteria

• Accuracy of the research plan and application
• Feasibility of the project
• Relevance of the expected outputs
• Budget adequacy
• Contributions by all involved partners, including funding and in-kind contributions
• Expertise and complementarities of the partners
• Potential for long-term collaboration and follow-up activities

For more information, visit SCNAT.