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.

Call closed. Next opening in early March 2026

Image from "Unfreezing the landscape", project by Monica Ursina Jäger and Lena Bakker

Purpose

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

Next call will open in early March 2026. 
Selected project(s) will start in September–December 2026.
Duration: Up to 24 months

 

Call closed. Next opening in early March 2026

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