Funding Opportunities

The objectives of the Mount Everest Foundation are to encourage and support expeditions for exploration and research in the mountain areas of the World. It pursues these objectives mainly by making grants to appropriate expeditions. An independent Screening Committee considers all applications in the first instance, taking expert advice where appropriate. The Screening Committee's recommendations are then considered by the Management Committee of Trustees.

Applications for the Mount Everest Foundation expedition grants are now open. Applications should be submitted through the online application form.

Expeditions seeking support should apply by 31 January for expeditions taking place after mid-April of that current year, and by 30 September for those expeditions taking place after mid-November the same year and before the end of the following year. These dates are strictly observed.

All applicants for MEF expedition grants must read the current Application Guidelines and Environmental Guidelines.

To apply for expedition support:

Download the Application Guidelines and Environmental Guidelines.
Download the Application Form.
The application form is downloaded in Word format. Fill in the application form on your computer, and submit it to the MEF Hon Secretary by the dates specified in the Guidelines as an attachment to an E-mail. Don’t forget to give your expedition a unique name.
Send copies of the completed application form to each of the Referees named under Para 8 on the application form. Referees should be advised that, after reading the Application, they should download and complete the Referee Proforma.
Having completed the proforma, referees should submit this to the MEF Hon Secretary as an attachment to an E-mail. The email address is given at the bottom of the proforma.

Application deadline: 30 September / 31 January

ESPON is an EU-funded programme that delivers quality expertise to public authorities responsible for designing territorial policies. ESPON has announced a call for tenders.

The geographical focus of this targeted analysis is on the interface territories across the Alpine region, between the mountainous inner Alpine area and the metropolitan pre-Alpine low-land. The project will examine the interlinkages and flows between these inner- and pre-Alpine areas, their challenges, and governance solutions. This will be done by addressing general questions related to the management of different development issues across political parameters, the ambition to balance functional complementarities, and to achieve sustainable development through territorial governance. The maximum available budget is EUR 250,000.00 (two hundred and fifty thousand Euros), exclusive of VAT but inclusive of all other taxes, disbursements, travel, accommodation, and delivery costs.

Tendering documents

The documentation related to the Call, such as technical specifications, annexes, questions, and answers are available here:

For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the Luxembourg Public Procurement Portal.

Tender submission deadline: 16 October 2023 at 11:00 (CET).

ESPON is an EU-funded programme that delivers quality expertise to public authorities responsible for designing territorial policies. ESPON has announced a call for tenders.

The objective of this Targeted Analysis is to deliver high-quality research on strategic planning for shrinking rural areas, with a particular focus on Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Within this research, ESPON sets out to produce evidence on how strategic planning in rural areas should best respond to the multi-faceted phenomena of shrinking. The main outcome of this targeted analysis should be a list of evidence-based recommendations, as well as a model to support strategic planning processes in European shrinking areas that may reveal and open new and alternative development paths for rural areas and citizens living there.

The maximum available budget is EUR 250,000.00 (two hundred and fifty thousand Euros), exclusive of VAT but inclusive of all other taxes, disbursements, travel, accommodation, and delivery costs.

Tendering documents

The documentation related to the Call, such as technical specifications, annexes, questions, and answers are available here:

For further information, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the Luxembourg Public Procurement Portal.

Tender submission deadline: 13 October 2023 at 11:00 (CET).

The Embassy of Switzerland in Australia is pleased to announce the opening of the 2023 call for applications for the Mertz Fellowship, a programme launched in 2022. The programme promotes linkages between Swiss and Australian higher education and research institutions through scientific networking and joint projects. The programme, supported by the Swiss Polar Institute, targets early-career researchers from the polar and high-altitude science communities in Switzerland and Australia.

One AUD 10,000 grant is made available per year. The fellowship grant can be used toward travel and costs of living (including accommodation) in order to reach the project objectives.

The call is open to all projects with a clear polar (Arctic/Antarctic) or high-altitude dimension. Interdisciplinary initiatives as well as initiatives from, e.g., Social Sciences, Humanities, and Economics are also encouraged.

Application Requirements

Any PhD student or early career researcher (maximum 5 years after the PhD award at the time of the proposal submission ) is eligible to apply. Applicants are responsible for finding a host institution as well as clarifying the scope of the proposed research project before submitting their application. Applicants must be employed, including during the time of the grant, at a Swiss Institute of Higher Education, and/or research facility, including those identified under Article 15 of the Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation or at an Australian university or research facility (for reference: list of Australian universities and agencies. The nationality of the applicant is not an eligibility criterion. Applicants based in Switzerland must propose a project at a “host institution” in Australia, and applicants based in Australia must propose a project at a “host institution” in Switzerland.

A complete application consists of:

Completed application form (compulsory - application form (DOCX, 3 Pages, 68.1 kB, English);
CV of the applicant, including a publication list (compulsory – free format);
Support letter from home institution (compulsory – free format);
Support letter from host institution (compulsory – free format).

Letters of recommendation and references relevant to the project can be included. All documents must be saved in PDF with the name of the applicant in the title.

Application deadline: 31 October 2023 at 11:00pm CET.

Applications for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for foreign scholars and artists have now opened, for the academic year 2024-2025.

Each year, the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to promote international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS). The scholarships are aimed at young researchers from abroad who have completed a master’s degree or PhD and at foreign artists holding a bachelor’s degree.

Research Scholarships

The research scholarship (research fellowship, PhD, Postdoc) is available to post-graduate researchers in any discipline (a master’s degree is the minimum qualification required) who are planning to come to Switzerland to pursue research or further studies at doctoral or post-doctoral level. Research scholarships are awarded for research or study at all Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, and the two federal institutes of technology, as well as the four research institutes. Only candidates nominated by an academic supervisor at one of these higher education institutions will be considered.

Art Scholarships

Art scholarships are open to art students wishing to pursue an initial arts master’s degree in Switzerland. These scholarships are awarded for study at any Swiss conservatory or university of the arts, and is available to students from a limited number of countries only.

Application Deadlines

The application deadline varies from country to country. To view the full list, please download the pdf here.

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has opened a call for grants for early-career researchers wishing to consolidate their scientific training and pursue their academic career in Switzerland.

Switzerland is considered a non-associated third country in the 2023 calls for projects in Horizon Europe (work programme 2023-2024) and related programmes and initiatives. This year, on behalf of the Swiss Confederation, the SNSF is launching a new call under the transitional measure SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships for people of all nationalities who were aiming to apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF). This funding scheme will offer applicants with a PhD and no more than eight years of postdoctoral experience a position at a non-commercial research institution in Switzerland for 12-24 months. The grant covers the postdoctoral researcher's salary, social security contributions, research funds, and conference fees.

Application deadline: 1 December 2023.

Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under Horizon Europe, is pleased to announce that it will soon launch a new transnational joint research call on Nature-based solutions for biodiversity, human well-being, and transformative change (referred to as BiodivNBS).

This call will aim at supporting research on biodiversity to gain a better understanding of the tipping points, trade-offs, and underlying mechanisms affecting Nature-based Solutions (Eggermont et al. 2015), and their successful implementation with respect to the benefits for nature, human well-being, and societal transformation.

To do so, it will cover the following three non-exclusive research themes:

Synergies and trade-offs of Nature-based solutions in the context of human well-being;
Nature-based solutions mitigating anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss;
The contribution of Nature-based solutions for just transformative change.

The call will cover transnational, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral research on Nature-based Solutions in all parts of the world. All realms (i.e. terrestrial, marine, coastal, and freshwater) will be eligible.

The call is planned to be officially launched on 11 September 2023. A two-step application procedure will be used with a closing date for pre-proposals’ submission early November 2023. A first evaluation of pre-proposals will be organised and the deadline to submit full proposals will be early April 2024.

Deadlines

Pre-proposal submission: 10 November 2023 at 15:00 CET
Results step 1: Mid February 2024
Full proposal submission: 9 April 2024 at 15:00 CET
Recommendations for funding: Late September 2024
Start of projects: 1 December 2024 to 1 April 2025.

The online platform (EPSS) to submit your pre-proposal will be available soon. Please check the website for further information.

The Interreg Alpine Space has opened applications for funding that can be submitted during calls for project proposals. The calls are opened every 12 to 18 months, with the publication of terms of reference describing the programme’s expectations.

Project proposals can be submitted as of publication of the terms of reference until a pre-defined deadline.
Calls are open generally for about two months.
Applications have to be submitted via the Joint Electronic Monitoring System (Jems).

The programme co-finances both small-scale and classic projects. Classic projects are selected following a two-step application procedure, and small-scale projects will be selected following a one-step procedure. Find more information about the current calls for proposal on the website.

Next call for proposals deadline: 13 October 2023.

Nell’ambito del progetto l’Adieu des Glaciers dedicato ai cambiamenti climatici sulle aree glaciali dei principali gruppi montuosi della Valle d’Aosta, è stato bandito il quarto Premio Forte di Bard. Il concorso ha la finalità di promuovere studi e ricerche sulla cultura montana sotto i profili glaciologico, geografico, politico, religioso, artistico, etnico ed ambientale, delle attività umane e degli insediamenti. L’edizione 2023 è dedicata al massiccio del Monte Bianco.

Il concorso è riservato ai titolari di laurea magistrale o di dottorato di ricerca dell’Università di Torino che abbiano discusso la propria tesi dal 1/1/2018 al 5/10/2023, con argomento relativo alla ricerca scientifica nelle aree glaciali e periglaciali del Gruppo del Monte Bianco.

Il concorso si divide in due categorie:

Dottorato di ricerca: all’elaborato giudicato vincitore verrà assegnato il premio:
€ 1.500,00 e diploma di attestazione
Laurea magistrale: all’elaborato giudicato vincitore verrà assegnato il premio:
€ 1.000,00 e diploma di attestazione

Gli elaborati devono pervenire entro le ore 12.00 di martedì 31 ottobre 2023.

Gli elaborati verranno esaminati e giudicati da una Commissione presieduta dal Presidente dell’Associazione Forte di Bard e da quattro esperti scelti rispettivamente dall’Università degli Studi di Torino – NatRisk, dalla Fondazione Montagna sicura, dall’Arpa Valle d’Aosta e dal Comitato Glaciologico Italiano.

La proclamazione dei vincitori si svolgerà entro dicembre 2023 in occasione di uno degli eventi calendarizzati per l’edizione 2023 del progetto L’Adieu des Glaciers.

Submission deadline: 31 October 2023.

Horizon Europe is calling for papers on "Harmonised / Standard protocols for the implementation of alert and impact forecasting systems as well as transnational emergency management in the areas of high-impact weather / climatic and geological disasters".

The projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

Enhanced links between scientific community and first and second responders promoting user-targeted research and the faster transfer of science results into best practices;
Enhanced adoption of novel technologies such as advanced Earth Observation capabilities, and capabilities such as those from Earth Observation space technologies into prevention and management practices and tools;
Improvement of meteorological input (wind, temperature, precipitation, soil humidity) for extremes related to heat and drought (forest fires, heatwave, agricultural damage, low water for hydro power), especially concerning the support of counter activities;
Improved methods for cross-border and cross-sectoral knowledge transfer about risk, vulnerability, exposure, and monitoring methods;
Development of common technical standards of alert and impact forecasting systems that cope more efficiently with transboundary emergencies, and for GIS-based information systems dealing with high-impact weather / climatic and geological disasters management during emergencies;
Identification of needs and opportunities for transferring advanced scientific results into enhancement in disaster logistics and responses, including tailor-made education and training programmes for emergency management teams.

Planned opening date: 27 June 2024.
Deadline date: 20 November 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Applications for the Swiss Poar Institute Technogrants will open in August 2023. These grants support Swiss groups developing technologies relevant for research in polar regions (and other extreme environments such as remote high-altitude regions). Technogrants can also serve the improvement and adaptation of technologies to extreme environments, or support new technological developments to be used in the field for polar or remote high-altitude research.

Eligible costs and financial support

The grants are destined to cover costs for up to 75’000.- CHF per successfully evaluated project.

Target public

The SPI Technogrants are complementary to the Polar Access Fund and SPI Exploratory Grants. Consequently, eligibility will be restricted to Swiss led developments of technologies relevant for research in polar regions (and other extreme environments in remote high-altitude regions). The grants are open from Master’s students to senior researchers based at a Swiss public research institution.

Geographic focus

The SPI Technogrants fund technology development relevant for polar science, the Arctic and Antarctic, according to the SPI’s high latitude focus.

Deadline for submission: 6 October 2023 (12:00, noon, Swiss time)

The Swiss Polar Institute Exploratory Grants support Swiss-based scientists active in polar regions (including remote high-altitude regions such as the Andes and the Himalayas) by allowing them to launch short-term new ideas (for example, pilot projects), fund additional field work, or launch new collaborations with financial support for logistics. Collaboration with new teams or across disciplines are particularly encouraged, as well as participation in larger/international activities. The grants can be used to complement the funding of initiatives supported by larger funding schemes (e.g. SNSF, EU, etc.). The grants are destined to cover costs for up to 75’000.- CHF per successfully-evaluated project. The call for 2023 will open mid-August and remain until 6 October 2023 (12:00, noon, Swiss time).

Target public

The grants are complementary to the Polar Access Fund (specifically focused on early-career scientists) and SPI Technogrants (focused on technology developments). Consequently, eligibility will be limited to established researchers or post-docs (at least 3 years after PhD graduation). The grants are open to all researchers employed by a Swiss public research institution.

Geographic focus

The SPI Exploratory Grants funds Swiss scientists active in polar regions, the Arctic and Antarctic, according to the SPI’s high latitude focus.

Deadline for submission: 6 October 2023 (12:00, noon, Swiss time)

The European Commission has launched the LIFE Programme’s 2023 calls for project proposals. This year, there is €611 million available for nature conservation, environmental protection, climate action, and clean energy transition projects.

Projects

Standard Action Projects (SAPs): nature and biodiversity - €148.4 million
Standard Action Projects (SAPs): circular economy and quality of life - €81 million
Standard Action Projects (SAPs): climate change mitigation and adaptation - €66.35 million
Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs): climate and environment - €83 million
Operating Grants for specific non-profit making entities, that have signed a Framework Partnership Agreement - €14 million
Technical Assistance Replication - €6.5 million
Projects for addressing ad hoc Legislative and Policy priorities (PLP) - €15 million

Submission Dates

Standard Action Projects (SAPs) for circular economy and quality of life and nature and biodiversity sub-programmes:
- Opening: 18 April – Closing: 6 September 2023

Standard Action Projects (SAPs) climate change mitigation and adaptation sub-programme:
- Opening: 18 April – Closing: 21 September 2023

LIFE Action Grants for clean energy transition sub-programme:
- Opening: 11 May (expected) – Closing: 16 November 2023 (expected)

Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs):
- Concept notes: Opening: 18 April – Closing: 5 September 2023
- Full proposals: Closing: 5 March 2024

Technical Assistance preparation for SIPs and SNAPs:
- Opening: 2 May – Closing: 7 September 2023

Technical Assistance Replication:
- Opening: 18 April – Closing: 27 July 2023

Specific Operating Grant Agreements (SGA OG), on invitation only to LIFE FPA signatories:
- Opening: Mid-April – Closing: 21 September 2023

LIFE Projects for addressing ad hoc Legislative and Policy Priorities (PLP):
- Opening: 18 April – Closing: 7 September 2023

The Australian Mountain Research Facility is seeking PhD and Honours students to join their team for this multidisciplinary project. The research programme seeks to improve the understanding of factors that are driving dieback, and ecosystem values impacted by these events, and to encapsulate such knowledge in models and tools in order to inform policy and management options to respond. These projects will suit students with an interest in and knowledge of forests, ecology, environmental physiology, terrestrial biogeochemistry, restoration ecology, conservation, physical and human geography, spatial analysis, environmental management, policy, and politics.

Projects:

Socio-political drivers of management and restoration;
Carbon dynamics of affected and unaffected snow gum woodlands;
Understanding the physiology, functional ecology, and genomics of the snow gum group to inform mitigation and management;
Mapping futures: modelling the geography of snow gum dieback with an eye to management planning.

Application deadline: 15 April 2023 for a mid-2023 start (for international and domestic students).
Second scholarship round deadline: 31 August 2023 (international) and 31 October 2023 (domestic) for an early 2024 start.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. 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, and the review process will follow the usual evaluation process for the Lead Agency.

Regardless of Lead Agency, U.S. proposers must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) following the instructions. The first EOI deadline will be 17 February 2023; all subsequent EOI deadlines will be at least 60 calendar days in advance of the submission of the full proposal to the Lead Agency (e.g., 3 August 2023, for the October 2023 SNSF full proposal deadline). EOIs will be used to determine eligibility for the Lead Agency Opportunity.

SNSF is expected to serve as the Lead Agency:

From April 1st, 2023, through March 31st, 2024
From April 1st, 2025, through March 31st, 2026

NSF is expected to serve as the Lead Agency:

From April 1st, 2024, through March 31st, 2025
From April 1st, 2026, through March 31st, 2027,

SNSF will be the Lead Agency in the first year and will accept proposals on their deadlines of 3 April and 2 October 2023.

Learn more

IACS offer funding to support attendance at IACS General and Scientific Assemblies, and also co-sponsor cryosphere-related workshops, educational, or other events.

There are three deadlines per year on 1 February, 1 June and 1 October.