With a total of 69 submissions, the 9th call has generated more proposals than any other SystemsX.ch call to date. 28 proposals for Transition Postdoc Fellowships (TPdFs) and 41 for Interdisciplinary PhD Projects (IPhDs) have been submitted. Of these proposals, the SystemsX.ch Executive Board (SEB) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have approved 7 TPdF and 17 IPhD projects.

After the deadline of April 30, 2014, each proposal was assessed by the SEB for the extent of its systems approach and its fit within SystemsX.ch. In addition, an Expert Group of the SNSF reviewed and ranked the proposals according to their scientific quality. Only if both committees agreed, was a proposal approved.

The successful applicants of the 7 approved TPdFs will receive a salary for two years and consumables worth up to CHF 20,000. With this support, they will move into a new scientific field or discipline. If the transition is successful, an extension for a third year can be requested.

16 approved IPhD Projects will last three-years, with funding covering the PhD-students’ salaries and consumables of up to CHF 10,000 per year each. An extension of up to 48 months in total will be possible. One additional proposal was approved for an interdisciplinary PhD that has so far been funded from another source. This project has been granted one year’s funding to finish. All projects can start as of September 2014.

The detailed results will be published in X-Letter 29.