Funding
Find funding, fuel discovery
Explore a comprehensive overview of funding opportunities for neurodegenerative disease research, featuring both Swiss and international sources. The platform offers detailed information on project grants, fellowships, awards, and mobility grants, while highlighting active calls to help researchers, institutes, and startups in securing vital financial resources. Key funding partners driving progress in neurodegenerative disease research are also featured.
Ongoing Calls
Deadline August
Research Fellowship 2026
Category: Fellowship
Focus: It supports research projects in basic, clinical or applied neuroscience, conducted in a European academic neurology department outside the applicant’s country of residence.
Amount: €2,000 per month, plus travel expenses of up to €500
Eligibility: Applicants must be European neurologists with active RRFS or Full EAN membership, having ≥ 2 years residency (training fellowship) or up to 5 years post‑graduation (full membership route), and plan their project in a host country other than their country of residence.
Deadline: 31.08.2025
Deadline September
Clinician Scientist Fellowship for All (AACSFA) Program
Category: Fellowship
Focus: Supports clinically oriented and translational research related to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Projects may include: developing novel therapeutics, improving early and differential diagnosis, studying disease mechanisms, designing diagnostic or care-delivery technologies, investigating psychosocial interventions, patient outcomes, or care models. Emphasis is placed on mentorship, health equity, and participation of underrepresented groups in clinical research careers.
Amount: $250,000 up to 3 years
Eligibility: Applicants within 15 years of earning their M.D., D.O., Ph.D., or equivalent; must have active clinical licensure and be engaged in patient care. Open to postdoctoral fellows through Assistant Professors.
Deadline: 04.09.2025
Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship for All (AARFA) Program
Category: Fellowship
Focus: Supports post-graduate researchers (e.g., postdoctoral fellows) transitioning before securing their first independent faculty positions (e.g., Assistant Professor) and working across diverse research areas related to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including basic, translational, clinical, functional, and social-behavioral studies.
Amount: $200,000 over 2-3 years
Eligibility: Postdoctoral fellows or equivalent within 10 years of Ph.D., not in independent faculty role.
Deadline: 04.09.2025
Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant for All (AARGA)
Category: Project funding
Focus: AARGA is a project-based research grant intended to fund early-stage, hypothesis-driven or pilot studies across a broad range of dementia research areas, including basic science, translational studies, biomarkers, clinical research, psychosocial interventions, health equity, and care delivery.
Amount: $200,000 over 2-3 years
Eligibility: Applicants must be within seven years of their first faculty appointment at the Assistant Professor (or equivalent) level.
Deadline: 04.09.2025
UniBe Bern Interdisciplinary Grants
Category: Project funding
Focus: Offers seed funding to teams of two to four researchers from the University of Bern, Inselspital, or Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste (UPD) to prepare joint applications for interdisciplinary project funding. Eligible projects must involve at least two disciplines and aim for funding from sources like the SNSF or ERC Synergy.
Amount: 75'000-150'000 CHF Salary for a researcher for up to 18 months, other costs as necessary.
Eligibility: Research group leaders (including individual researchers) from all faculties and centers of the University of Bern, including the Inselspital and UPD.
Deadline: 04.09.2025
Young Investigator Grants
Category: Project funding
Focus: The program supports talented young group leaders in the medical sciences, with the aim of advancing their independent research careers. It covers all areas of medical research, from basic science to clinically-applied research.
Amount: Up to 400'000 CHF total for a maximum duration of 3 years.
Eligibility: Applicants must be independent group leaders at a Swiss university, research institute, or hospital, with their salary secured for the project duration, and must have obtained their highest academic degree within the last 10 years (15 years for academic clinicians).
Deadline: 09.09.2025
Call for Clinical Trials
Agency: and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Category: Clinical trial funding
Focus: Supports clinical trials focusing on the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases. These trials should address areas of unmet clinical need and be based on promising evidence from earlier human studies.
Amount: Up to three trials with a total budget of 8.8 Mio CHF
Eligibility: Collaborative research teams comprising investigators from both Switzerland and the UK.
Deadline: 09.09.2025
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
Agency: funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe.
Category: Mobility grant
Focus: Supports researchers aiming to enhance their potential through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility.
Amount: The amount of the fellowship depends on the cost of living in the country of residence.
Eligibility: Researcher holding a PhD (max 8 year of post PhD experience)
Deadline: 10.09.2025
Drug Development
Category: Project funding
Focus: Supports non-clinical studies and early-phase clinical trials that test promising pharmacological interventions and devices for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Amount: Up to 5'000'000$
Eligibility: Universities, start ups, companies, nonprofit organisation
Deadline: 15.09.2025
Neuroimaging and CSF Biomarker Program
Prevention
Category: Project funding
Focus: Supports studies on cognitive symptoms linked to health conditions, comparative effectiveness research, and epidemiological investigations examining how drug use or choice influences the risk of dementia or cognitive decline.
Amount: Up to 5'000'000$
Eligibility: Universities, start ups, companies, nonprofit organisation
Deadline: 15.09.2025
BRIDGE Proof of Concept
Category: Project funding
Focus: The BRIDGE Proof of Concept program supports young researchers in Switzerland who wish to turn their research findings into innovative products or services.
Amount: 130'000 CHF for a year
Eligibility: Young researchers (Bsc, Msc, PhD before 4 years)
Deadline: 15.09.2025
ERC Proof of Concept
Category: Project funding
Focus: Supports the validation and development of innovative ideas stemming from ERC-funded projects, extending their impact beyond the original research scope.
Amount: 150'000€ for 18 months
Eligibility: All Principal Investigators holding an ERC Frontier Research Grant (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy).
Deadline: 18.09.2025
Smarter Medicine Research Grant
Swiss Brain League Research Prize
Category: Award
Focus: The award supports Swiss research groups for outstanding scientific achievements in clinical or translational neuroscience, with a focus on research involving patient studies. The research must be published or accepted for publication in an internationally recognized journal within the last two years.
Amount: 40'000 CHF
Eligibility: Swiss research groups
Deadline: 30.09.2025
Deadline October
Project Funding (SNF)
Category: Project funding
Focus: Supports independent research projects in Switzerland, offering substaintial funding for one to four years. It enables researchers to explore both disciplinary and interdisciplinary topics, whether individually or through collaborative efforts.
Amount: Up to 250'000 CHF per year per applicant.
Eligibility: Researchers (4 years after PhD) working at Swiss universities or other eligible institutions.
Deadline: 01.10.2025
Friedrich Miescher Award 2026
Category: Award
Focus: The award recognizes outstanding achievements in biochemistry.
Amount: 20'000 CHF
Eligibility: Young scientists under 40 who have conducted independent biochemistry research in Switzerland or are Swiss scientists abroad, excluding health care professionals.
Deadline: 31.10.2025
Ambizione (SNSF)
Category: Fellowship
Focus: Ambizione grants support early-career researchers who want to lead independent projects at a Swiss institution. Eligible candidates must have completed a PhD within the last four years or medical studies (with some clinical experience) within nine years. Researchers from both Switzerland and abroad are welcome. Grants cover salary and project funds, lasting up to four years.
Amount: Covers the grantee's salary and project costs up to 4 years.
Eligibility: Early career researchers
Deadline: 04.11.2025
Deadline November
Ambizione (SNSF)
Category: Fellowship
Focus: Ambizione grants support early-career researchers who want to lead independent projects at a Swiss institution. Eligible candidates must have completed a PhD within the last four years or medical studies (with some clinical experience) within nine years. Researchers from both Switzerland and abroad are welcome. Grants cover salary and project funds, lasting up to four years.
Amount: Covers the grantee's salary and project costs up to 4 years.
Eligibility: Early career researchers
Deadline: 04.11.2025
SPIRIT (SNSF)
Category: Project funding
Focus: The SPIRIT program aims to foster international cooperation in research by supporting teams from Switzerland and low to middle-income countries. The program encourages the submission of research proposals in any scientific field, focusing on innovative projects that require global partnerships
Amount: 50'000 - 500'000 CHF up to 2- 4 years
Eligibility: Researchers
Deadline: 04.11.2025
Swiss funding agencies
Vontobel Stiftung
supports researchers by funding social, scientific and dialogue-enhancing projects that focus on social welfare, nature and science, medical research and cultural initiatives. The foundation aims to support early-career researchers working at established research institutions. Funding covers salaries for PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, as well as justified material and laboratory costs. Projects initiated by other foundations are not supported.