BRIDGE

BRIDGE Discovery — 10th

Funds high-potential Swiss researchers translating ideas into practical demonstrations to strengthen real-world implementation.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

BRIDGE Discovery is a joint funding programme of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Innosuisse (the Swiss Innovation Agency), designed to close the gap between fundamental research and innovation with tangible social or economic impact. The 10th call for BRIDGE Discovery was launched jointly by Innosuisse and SNSF, with a full proposal submission deadline of 28 April 2026 at 17:00 CEST via the bridge.mysnf.ch platform. The programme targets experienced researchers across all scientific disciplines who want to move an idea born from blue-sky research toward a real-world application.

BRIDGE Discovery funds projects for up to four years. Eligible costs cover the salaries of project employees and research costs directly linked to the project; the lead applicant's own salary is explicitly excluded and must be covered by the host institution. Proposals may be submitted individually or as a consortium of up to three researchers. Each proposal must demonstrate scientific excellence alongside a clearly articulated vision of a future application — both criteria are assessed equally by SNSF and Innosuisse reviewers under the BRIDGE Steering Committee. The programme is fully documented on bridge.ch, which hosts the detailed submission conditions and call guidelines.

Because BRIDGE Discovery sits between SNSF Project Funding (discovery science) and Innosuisse project grants (applied innovation), it uniquely serves researchers who have publishable scientific results but need funding to explore whether those results can be translated into a product, process, or service. Applications are submitted once per annual call rather than on a rolling basis. The 10th call's April 2026 deadline has passed; an 11th call is expected to be announced on bridge.ch. Teams approaching relevance thresholds should review the bridge.ch eligibility conditions carefully, as BRIDGE Discovery has distinct requirements from standalone SNSF or Innosuisse grants.