Published on 18.06.2026

Find funding opportunities with Pivot-RP: Tips and starter searches

Have you tried searching for funding opportunities with Pivot-RP, but your search was inconclusive? A few adjustments can often make a big difference. Here are some tips to help you search more efficiently and get more relevant results.

Use filters strategically

Filtering options are available in the advanced search and can significantly improve the relevance of your results. Using too few filters may leave you with an overwhelming number of opportunities to review, while applying too many filters may overly restrict your search and leave you with nothing. The key is to find the right balance. It can also be useful to experiment with exclusion filters. Here is a selection of useful filters: career stage, funding type, applicant/institution location, activity location and keywords.

Create separate searches for different funding needs

Are you looking for funding for your project, but also for scientific communication or for travel grants? Instead of searching for everything at once, create separate searches for each type of funding. You can save these searches and set up alerts to receive an email whenever a new matching opportunity is added to Pivot-RP.

Choose your search terms carefully

Are you looking for funding for a project on the genetics of the Edelweiss in the western Alps? Or on the representation of the devil in 14^th-century Christian manuscripts from central Switzerland? Entering very specific terms such as “Edelweiss”, “14^th century manuscripts” or “alpine region” may limit your results too much. Try taking a step (or a few) back and using broader terms such as “genetic diversity” or “religious practices” may help uncover a wider range of relevant funding opportunities.

Try the semantic search

Pivot-RP’s AI-based semantic search contextualizes the words you enter and searches for related concepts. For example, if you search for “climate change”, you may receive results for funding opportunities linked to climate change even if those exact words do not appear in the opportunity description.

Track opportunities of interest

Found an interesting opportunity but the deadline has already passed? It may open again next year. By tracking opportunities, you can receive an automated email when the call opens again.

Experiment with different search approaches

Try different ways of searching: regular search, semantic search, keyword search or a combination of these. The results will most likely vary, and comparing them can help you identify opportunities you might otherwise miss.

Starter searches

Here is a selection of starter searches to help you begin exploring funding opportunities in Pivot-RP.

Research grants for early-career postdocs
Grants for PhD thesis funding
Private foundations based in Switzerland
Travel grants

You can find more pre-established searches in the curated opportunities in Pivot-RP. 

Still not satisfied with your results? The Research Promotion Service is here to help. We can try to answer any of your questions and also offer one-on-one support sessions on how to search efficiently with Pivot-RP. Do not hesitate to contact us.

For support, please visit our Pivot-RP support webpages.