Lead Agency process

The Lead Agency process allows researchers in Switzerland and a partner country to submit a joint research proposal to either of the two national funding organisations.
Weave
Project funding is the SNSF scheme that supports Lead Agency applications. SNSF rules apply to the subprojects in Switzerland. The participation requirements of the partner organisation apply to the subproject abroad.A Lead Agency application can be submitted provided there are no thematic overlaps with project funding grants that are already under way.Because of coordination activities with the partner organisation, the evaluation usually takes longer than for regular projects.The Lead Agency process does not support trilateral applications. But you can collaborate with researchers from further countries by designating them "project partners", regardless of whether the SNSF has signed an agreement with the countries in question. No more than 20% of the Swiss budget can be allocated for project partners.Costs are calculated on the basis of the relevant national guidelines.In most partner countries, the success rates are lower than the SNSF rates. These lower rates are applied to Lead Agency applications submitted to the SNSF.Who the Lead Agency will be, and the corresponding application requirements, will depend on the agreement in place with the country in question. In general, one submission per year is possible either to the SNSF or to the partner organisation. Please consult the respective country pages.
If the evaluation is carried out by a partner organisation, the application must still be submitted via mySNF within seven days.
Participating countries
The SNSF has signed a Lead Agency agreement with six countries or regions.
Detailed country information:
FranceIsraelState of Sao PauloSouth AfricaProvince of South Tyrol USA
For administrative reasons, Lead Agency applications need to be submitted simultaneously to all of the funders involved.The applicants need to meet the participation requirements and eligibility criteria defined by their funder.The research plan must conform with the guidelines issued by the Lead Agency; it can be submitted unchanged to the partner organisations.All other data and information must be in line with the guidelines of the funding agencies involved.Costs are calculated on the basis of the relevant national guidelines.Applications have to be submitted in English.
Researchers may submit only one project funding proposal within a twelve-month period. Exceptions apply to proposals that were rejected in random selection or that were recommended for funding by the SNSF within the framework of Weave/Lead Agency but were not approved by the partner organisation. Researchers may have a maximum of two simultaneous grants in project funding. One of these must be a Weave/Lead Agency/ICIS project. As part of a transitional measure, collaborative projects approved prior to April 2026 will be counted as Lead Agency/Weave/ICIS projects until the end of their scheduled duration.If the SNSF is the Lead Agency, applications are submitted to the SNSF within the calls for project funding on 1 April or 1 October. Applicants cannot simultaneously submit any further project funding applications. The submission takes place via the portal.For administrative reasons, the applicants based abroad need to simultaneously submit to their respective funders the application to be evaluated by the SNSF as Lead Agency.Please enter the applicants based abroad as co-applicants.Enter the budget of the Swiss subproject in in the section “Budget”. For the total project budget, fill in the budget form and upload it.CVs of all persons registered as applicants must be submitted according to SNSF guidelines.
Researchers may submit only one project funding proposal within a twelve-month period. Exceptions apply to proposals that were rejected in random selection or that were recommended for funding by the SNSF within the framework of Weave/Lead Agency but were not approved by the partner organisation. Researchers may have a maximum of two simultaneous grants in project funding. One of these must be a Weave/Lead Agency/ICIS project. As part of a transitional measure, collaborative projects approved prior to April 2026 will be counted as Lead Agency/Weave/ICIS projects until the end of their scheduled duration.The deadline of the partner organisation is decisive for the submission.For administrative reasons, the application must be submitted via the mySNF platform no later than seven days after submission to the partner organisation.Please enter the applicants based abroad as co-applicants.Enter the budget of the Swiss subproject in the data container "Requested funding". For the total project budget, fill in the budget form (except South Tyrol) and upload it to the data container "Lead Agency and other agreements". The CVs of the Swiss applicants need to meet SNSF guidelines; it is not necessary to submit the CVs and research outputs of the applicants abroad.