x
Loading
+ -

Private Funding Opportunities

(c) Pexels

Do you need additional funds for an ongoing research project? Do you plan a short pilot project? Do you plan a longer research or training stay? Are you looking for other funding beyond the major and known funding opportunities?
Why not looking for private funding instead or in addition? We present you an overview of private funding organizations in Basel, many exclusively for Researchers at the University of Basel.

In Switzerland alone, of the roughly 10’000 Foundations, at least half of them are active in project funding and many of them are open to research projects. In the surroundings – physical as well as intellectual – of the University of Basel, many private funders and foundations have their seat and some are exclusively for researchers at the University of Basel, for example the Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft (FAG).

Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft

The Freiwillige Akademische Gesellschaft (“Voluntary Academic Association”) founded in 1835 by citizens of Basel, aims to support research and teaching as well as maintaining scientific collections. In 2023 it has approved nearly 1.6 Mio CHF for projects, covering amounts from 800 to 80’000 CHF. Financial resources for supporting projects are made up of annual membership fees, donations and investment income. Other important sources of income are donations and legacies (as is the case for many other private funders).

The FAG covers research topics from all faculties and departments of the University of Basel. However, they cannot cover all kind of projects. Therefore, they focus on research travels abroad, support for finalizing dissertations and habilitations, printing costs, events and of course research projects. In many cases, funds from the FAG will not be sufficient to cover the costs of the whole project, but be in addition to other funding. The FAG accepts submissions all around the year, at least 3 months before the start of the project or activity.

Furthermore, a broad range of smaller funds and foundations are included in the FAG. They cover specific topics with additional criteria and/or other submission deadlines. The FAG website is only available in German. Information in English can be given via email or on the phone.

Index Donationum

The Index Donationum is a database of private foundations and funds in the vicinity of the University of Basel. It is managed by the Career Advancement team and accessible within the Unibas network. It contains information from and about foundations that support scientific and university activities. Here is a selection of foundations listed in the Index Donationum:

More national and international private funding organisations

Finding the right private funding organisation is like searching for the famous needle in the haystack. Luckily, databases can help you.

Internationally, the ResearchProfessional platform lists open calls worldwide and allows for detailed searches. While it includes the national calls you can also find a broad range of internationally active private foundations within your area of research.

In Switzerland, various actors manage databases of foundations in Switzerland. The most extensive one is from the Federal Department of Home Affairs. SwissFoundations and proFonds are two umbrella organisations for Swiss foundations. Furthermore StiftungSchweiz runs a nationwide database.

The following are a selection of well-known foundations covering a wide range of topics:

  • Velux Stiftung: This Swiss foundation supports research projects in four areas: Daylight Research, Forestry, Ophthalmology and Healthy Ageing. The have regular open calls for proposals.
  • Volkswagen Stiftung: The German foundation funds creative research projects within the topics Understanding Research (critically exploring and reflecting on the research system), Societal Transformations (expanding knowledge and develop courses of action together with stakeholders in civil society) and Exploration (unexplored research territory with unconventional ideas).
  • The Rockefeller Foundation: The US foundation offers research stays for various career stages at their Bellagio Center in northern Italy. Furthermore, research projects in a broad range of topics are funded, among others Food, Health and Innovative Finance.
  • AO Foundation: AO is a global network of surgeons and funds research in the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Nomis Stiftung: The Swiss foundation supports individual pioneering researchers worldwide in natural sciences, socials sciences and the humanities. Furthermore, project funding that benefits humankind and the planet is also possible.

Dos & Don'ts with private funders

Here are a few tips on how to work and engage with private funding organisations:

  • Private foundations work in a different way to big national funding agencies. They also have different evaluation procedures, including evaluation by non-scientists.
  • Tailor your correspondence to the capacity of the organisation to which you are applying/approaching.
  • Be open for engagement and brainstorming: Many private funders are interested in collaborating with you beyond the single research project funded. However, direct funding of your idea is not always possible (some foundations proactively select the people and project they want to work with). Stay in touch, be open to discuss ideas and it might result in a longer-term collaboration.
To top