Research projects
The COPL Research Projects Programme provides competitive funding to support interdisciplinary collaborations between affiliated research groups that advance the Centre’s scientific mission on the origins and prevalence of life. The next submission deadline is on Friday, 27 March 2026.
Supported projects from previous calls
To the projectsPurpose
To support collaborative research between COPL-affiliated groups – ideally across departments – on topics aligned with the Centre’s scientific objectives.
Eligibility
Each project is led by a Principal Investigator (PI), who must be a COPL-affiliated group leader.
- Co-Investigators (Co-Is) must also belong to COPL-affiliated research groups.
- PIs and Co-Is must retain their COPL membership throughout the project duration.
- Each group leader may participate in only one proposal per call (as PI or Co-I).
Funding
Individual projects: CHF 50,000 – 150,000
Typical eligible costs:
- Personnel (PhDs, postdocs, technical staff)
- Equipment and consumables
- Expeditions and research travel
- CHF 6,000/year fixed for conferences and seminars
Timeline
The next submission deadline is on Friday, 27 March 2026.
Selected project(s) will start in September–December 2026. Duration: Up to 24 months