The Australian–Swiss Joint Research Programme (2026 call), a new funding opportunity jointly implemented by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), was launched on the 18th of March 2026. This is the first ever joint call taking place between Switzerland and Australia.
This call supports Joint Research Projects (JRPs) between Swiss and Australian research teams and builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two agencies in September 2025.
The focus of the 2026 call is:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, with particular emphasis on research benefiting underrepresented populations (including diverse sex, gender, and sexual orientations).
Indicative topics include:
- AI for clinical decision support (diagnosis and treatment planning)
- Addressing bias in medical training data
- Trustworthy and interpretable AI in healthcare
- Applications in gender medicine
Projects must involve at least one partner in Switzerland and one in Australia, and should propose ambitious, innovative approaches. Funding is provided on a bilateral basis, with the SNSF covering the Swiss component and NHMRC the Australian side.
Key parameters:
- Duration: 4 years
- Funding (Swiss side): up to CHF 400,000 per project
- Up to 10 projects expected to be funded
- Deadline: 17 June 2026 (17:00 CEST)
Direct Links:
SNSF: https://www.snf.ch/en/SXw5p2SWrG7IDtpJ/funding/australian-swiss-joint-research-programme
NHMRC: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/find-funding/swiss-national-science-foundation