SFOE Energy Research Programmes

SFOE Energy Research Programmes

Funds Swiss application-oriented energy research projects through SFOE subsidiary support.

SFOE Energy Research Programmes are the Swiss Federal Office of Energy funding route for research projects under Article 49 of the Energy Act and the SFOE directive for energy research, pilot and demonstration projects. The programme supports projects that match the current Federal Government energy research Masterplan 2025-2028, with emphasis on application-oriented and development-related work in renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, grids, and socio-economic energy topics.

SFOE funding is subsidiary: project partners plan and finance the project first, then request SFOE support when funding cannot be assured elsewhere or only partial funding is available. The directive says energy research projects may receive up to 100% SFOE support, but it does not publish a universal CHF cap, so the award fields are left blank. Applicants must disclose own funds, other federal assistance, and third-party funding so the office can prevent double financing.

Funding applicants may come from the private sector, public companies, trade and industry associations, universities, research institutes, NGOs, public-sector bodies, or joint undertakings. A project lead must be formally defined to coordinate with SFOE. Projects must create value in Switzerland or provide findings needed by Swiss researchers or SFOE, and SFOE expects funded results to be made public.

The bottom-up route allows applications in principle at any time, although SFOE may also run top-down calls with topic-specific deadlines and exclusion periods. Applicants should contact the relevant SFOE programme head before filing. A full application uses the official energy research application form, a project-costs and financing sheet, partner signatures, and supporting declarations for third-party finance.

The main caveat for companies is that SFOE is not a product-launch subsidy. The project needs a clear energy-system research question, public-value findings, and enough partner co-financing or justification for subsidiary support. If a top-down SFOE call is open on the same topic, the directive can block a bottom-up submission on that topic for a period after the call deadline.