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Agora - where research meets the public

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

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Summary
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Rolling deadline
CHF5,000 - CHF200,000
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For profit
R&D and Higher Education
Switzerland
Research, Development and Innovation
Overview

The Agora scheme aims to foster dialogue between scientists and society.

Submission deadline:Anytime (CHF 5’000-50'000) The Agora scheme aims to foster dialogue between scientists and society. It encourages researchers to communicate their current research to an audience of lay people. Agora projects have to initiate a direct dialogue between researchers and the public in which they interact and listen to each other.

Projects with a budget of up to CHF 200,000 (Agora projects) need to be submitted by the Agora submission deadline at 17:00 CET, set annually around mid-October. Funding decisions are communicated in March the following year.

Projects with a budget of up to CHF 50,000 (Agora rolling call projects) can be submitted all year round. Funding decisions will be c​ommunicated within four months.

With the exception of the deadline, length of the project plan and the budget, all information regarding submissions applies to both Agora projects and Agora rolling call projects.

The applications are evaluated in a competitive procedure by an international commission composed of scientists and experts in science communication.

Target audience(s) and means of communication Agora projects always address an audience that is non-specialised in the communicated topic. This includes adults, adolescents, schools or people generally distant from cultural centres. Agora projects can also address smaller target audiences who play a pivotal role in society such as politicians, social workers or teachers.

Applicants can freely choose the means of communication. But the chosen means must encourage a dialogue between researchers and target audience.​

Target audiences and means of communication need to be clearly specified in the project plan.​

Restrictions:

The following types of projects are excluded:

  • Communication with other researchers.
  • Communication linked to academic teaching, technology transfer.
  • Projects whose primary goals are to promote the profile or reputation of an institution (e.g. marketing initiative).
  • Projects whose primary goals are to generate public acceptability for a scientific achievement or technology.
  • Research into science communication (such projects are financed under the research funding schemes of the SNSF)
  • Projects linked exclusively to National Research Programmes (NRPs) or National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) as these programmes have a science communication budget of their own.
Eligibility

​Grants;

Submitted projects must have a duration of up to three years and a budget of between CHF 5,000 and CHF 200,000.​

Applicants:

Researchers based in Switzerland may submit applications for Agora projects irrespective of their career stage and their experience in science communication. Agora applicants must be employed at an eligible institution with a work-time percentage of no less than 20% during their project. They cannot apply for their own salaries. All applicants must make a significant contribution to the project and assume personal responsibility.​

In line with the principles of the DORA declaration, Agora projects are considered scientific output; the SNSF will therefore take them into account w hen evaluating the scientific track record.​

Communicated topic:

The topic communicated by the Agora project must be clearly linked to research recently conducted by the applicant(s).​

The communicated topic must be of interest to the target audience and the underlying research must have been peer-reviewed. This implies that the research has been published in at least one peer-reviewed journal and/or has received competitive funding as approved by the SNSF or another funding institution in Switzerland or abroad. ​.

Project team:

The applicant or applicants can choose to work with other people who have the expertise required to carry out the project successfully. The role of project partner is available to persons who make a contribution to the project without bearing individual responsibility. Non-academics can also collaborate on the project, e.g. if they know the target audience, are communication experts or have artistic qualifications. ​Sub-projects that cannot be run by the applicants or by project partners can be sub-contracted as an external mandate.

Sub-projects that cannot be run by the applicants or by project partners can be sub-contracted as an external mandate.

It is highly recommended that applicants work with the communication service of the host institution. In this sense, a contact with the communication officer of the institute is required prior to the release of the fund (art. 10.3). A list of all communication services of higher education institutions in Switzerland is available on the website of SUPRIO (Swiss Universities Communications Officers

Learn more or apply
All information about this funding has been collected from and belongs to the funding organization
19 April 2023