SNSF Ambizione

The Ambizione Call 2026 opens on 3 August 2026.

The University of Fribourg (Unifr) welcomes applications from candidates seeking to apply for an SNSF Ambizione grant with the University of Fribourg as their host institution.

This page provides an overview of the application process at Unifr and compiles useful information.  If you have any questions or would like to discuss our support options, do not hesitate to contact us.

 

1. Getting started

To request your written confirmation from the University of Fribourg, please complete the following form as early as possible – and no later than 18 October 2026.

Ambizione 2026 - Confirmation Request Form

Note that some questions in this form are meant to check your eligibility for the Ambizione 2026 call. The eligibility criteria are available on the SNSF website and are also summarized below.

 

2. Written confirmation of the research institution

The written confirmation of the research institution consists of two separate letters:

  • Host department confirmation signed by the contact person named in your application and the head of the department (or institute).
  • General confirmation from the Unifr Rectorate

The Research Promotion Service coordinates the preparation of both letters.

Once your eligibility has been confirmed, we will contact your designated contact person and the department head to have them complete and sign the department confirmation letter. Note that departments may have internal procedures for selecting Ambizione candidates. We recommend you reach out to your contact person and host department in advance. 

After both signatures are obtained, we will request the Rectorate’s general confirmation.

We will send you both letters approximately one week before the call deadline.

In principle, the letters will be written in English, regardless of the language used in your application.

 

3. Application and proposal check

We are happy to support you in ensuring that your proposal complies with SNSF guidelines. We can review your research plan, budget, and administrative content and provide tailored, individual feedback.

For optimal support, please grant read-only access to your proposal on mySNF (left-hand menu options > manage authorizations> read-only access). Grant access to the individuals listed under “contact”.  

Submission Deadline

3 November 2026, 17:00

Further Resources

SNSF Ambizione Webpage

Ambizione evaluation form

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Contact

Research Promotion Service

Laurence Fazan 

Antoine Taillard

Matthias Held

  • Eligibility criteria

    Please note that for the 2026 Ambizione call, the eligibility criteria have been updated:

    • Applicants must hold a PhD diploma or have completed their medical studies
    • Applicants must submit an application less than 4 years after completing their PhD (extensions possible)
    • Applicants must have carried out research activities during at least 12 months after the PhD, at a minimum employment rate of 80%.  
    • (new) Applicants must have a Swiss link:
      • be a Swiss national or
      • have a Swiss higher education institution degree (master, doctorate, medical diploma, FMH specialist or equivalent) or
      • have carried out research or clinical work in a Swiss research institution for at least 12 months between the completion of their doctorate or medical diploma and the submission deadline
    • (new) Each contact person at the University of Fribourg can support only one applicant.
  • Budget and salaries

    The budget for an SNSF Ambizione grant typically contains the following items: 

    The applicant's own salary (not included in the max. 250'000 CHF)

    Please enter 126'000 CHF / yr. This is only an indicative (upper) salary. Your salary is not included in the project funds and will be calculated on a case-by-case basis by the personal service of Unifr, depending on your experience, once your project is approved. 

     Project funds (max. 250'000 CHF for a 4-year project):

    • Salary for further employees
      • Junior researcher (researcher with a bachelor or master): 81'000 CHF / yr
      • Subassistant (bachelor or master student enrolled at Unifr): 21'495 CHF / yr. At Unifr, subassistants can be employed for a maximum of 11 hours per week (26.19%). 
      • Laboratory technician (chemistry, biology, physics): 67'000 CHF / yr
      • Technical staff (other domains): 70'000 CHF
    • Costs for granting access to research data (Open Research Data): you can budget up to 10'000 CHF for the preparation and storage of your data on a FAIR data repository - almost all projects produce data. 
    • Material of enduring value, equipment (up to max. 100'000 CHF). For equipment that costs more than 50'000 CHF, please include a quote. 
    • Travel costs: public transportation, room and board costs as well as costs to attend conferences. Examples of suitable rates here. 
    • Conferences and workshops: costs for organizing events, including travel costs for participants. 
    • Additional project costs (incl. consumables)
    • Direct costs of infrastructure use
    • Computing time and data
    • Material costs: costs incurred by project partners and subcontractors: max. 20% of the grant. Salaries of partners are not eligible. 

     Ineligible costs: 

    • Salaries for PhD students or postdocs
    • Publication costs (can be requested separately)
    • Scientific literature (has to be requested from the libraries) 
    • Translation costs
    • Photocopies, postage, phone calls, software costs
    • Standard IT equipment including hardware and software (is provided by the IT department of Unifr)
    • Laboratory facilities and equipment
    • Any other facilities and equipment routinely made available for the relevant research field.
    • Rent, electricity, water, insurances, maintenance and repair, etc.
  • Information events
    SNSF Ambizione info webinar

     NA  2026

     NA (Swiss time)

    The SNSF is organizing an info event to inform applicants about the 2026 SNSF Ambizione Call. 

    More information and the registration link will follow and will be found on the SNSF Ambizione website in August 2026. 

     

    Guide through your Ambizione application on mySNF

     10 September 2026

     12:00-13:00 (midday, Swiss time)

    The Research Promotion Service of Unifr is organizing a webinar to go through your Ambizione application on mySNF with you and explain how to fill in the different data containers and avoid certain pitfalls. This webinar has proved very useful for applicants when filling in the administrative parts of their application, and we therefore encourage you to mark the time in your calendar now. 

     Please complete the request confirmation form or write us an email to receive the webinar link. 

     

     

  • Common rejection reasons

    Here is a compilation of common reasons for rejecting Ambizione proposals. Please pay attention to these points while writing your proposal and keep in mind the evaluation criteria (Art. 15). 

    • Limited originality , insufficient innovation
    • Methodological weaknesses or unclear approach
    • Feasibility doubts or unrealistic scope
    • Lack of risk assessment or weak contigency planning
    • Overloaded plans
    • Insufficient detail in research plan, work packages, data presentation, milestones or implementation
    • Applicant independence or expertise not fully demonstrated
  • What if I start late?

    You can still apply with Unifr as a host institution.

    If you start the eligibility check or request support letters after the 18th of October, we will do our best to assist you – however, we cannot guarantee that the institutional letters will be ready before the call deadline.

    If you would like a proposal check but did not contact us before the 18th of October, please reach out anyway. Closer to the deadline, our capacity for in-depth feedback becomes limited, but we will support you as much as possible.