The last two SystemsX.ch calls for proposals have attracted much interest. Within the 11th call, a total of 58 proposals for Transition Postdoc Fellowships (TPdF) and Interdisciplinary PhD Projects (IPhD) were submitted. SystemsX.ch also received 51 proposals for Special Opportunities Projects in response to the 12th call for proposals. Each of the 15 SystemsX.ch partner institutions is represented in the project proposals of the final two SystemsX.ch calls, as main or co-applicants.

109 new proposals submitted

33 young, ambitious researchers applied for a Transition Postdoc Fellowship. With the help of a host research group, they wish to gain experience in a discipline complementary to their background. The project proposals reveal that the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich are particularly popular host institutions (see table 1).

As part of the 25 IPhD proposals, 54 research group leaders have applied as potential co-mentors. As table 2 indicates, 9 of the 15 SystemsX.ch partner institutions, as well as one university abroad and one private company, are involved in the project proposals. SystemsX.ch plans to fund 10 IPhD Projects and 8 TPdFs with a total of over CHF 3 million.

Among the co-applicants of the 51 proposals for Special Opportunities Projects, all SystemsX.ch partner institutions are present. SystemsX.ch plans to approve a maximum of 10 projects in this category with up to CHF 1.5 million.

The evaluation is underway

The 11th call proposals will be reviewed by the SystemsX.ch Scientific Executive Board (SEB), which will assess their relevance to systems biology, and by the Swiss National Science Foundation’s Expert Group, which will evaluate the proposals’ scientific quality. Only those proposals accepted by both committees will be eligible for funding. The proposals of the 12th call will be reviewed by the SEB only. The results of both calls will be communicated in August 2015.