Helmut Horten Foundation: Two Calls for Medical Research Funding Open

The Helmut Horten Foundation has opened two calls for proposals for funding programmes for biomedical research projects in Switzerland: Consortium Projects for Clinical Translation (deadline 1 July 2025) and Young Investigator Grants (deadline 9 September 2025).

The funding aims to support projects that can significantly impact patient health and foster innovation in the Swiss biomedical sector.

Consortium Projects for Clinical Translation – Deadline: 1 July 2025

This call targets multidisciplinary research groups developing biomedical innovations with potential clinical applications. The objective is to sustainably enhance patients' quality of life and life expectancy, concentrating on areas of unmet medical needs.

Funded projects will fall into two categories:

• Brain Health (with particular attention to mental health, psychiatry, and neurology)
• All Medical Areas (all other medical areas)

Selected proposals may receive a maximum funding of 1 million Swiss francs per year for three years, with the possibility of a fourth year in justified cases. The consortium must be composed of a minimum of two and a maximum of five applicants who possess complementary skills. The lead applicant must be an independent group leader at a Swiss university, research institute, or hospital. At least one applicant must be a physician scientist with clinical responsibility.

Applications must be submitted by 1 July 2025. Following a three-stage selection process (structured summary, full proposal, and hearing), funding decisions will be communicated the week of 15 December 2025.

Young Investigator Grants – Deadline: 9 September 2025

This call targets independent young researchers with a maximum of 10 years of post-doctoral experience (or 15 years for specialist physicians), providing them with the opportunity to develop an independent research project in the field of medical sciences.

Funding will cover any area of biomedical research, from basic to applied research, for a maximum of 400,000 Swiss francs distributed over three years. Applicants must have their salary secured and be employed as independent group leaders at a Swiss university, research institute or hospital. Applications must be submitted by 9 September 2025. Following a two-stage selection process (structured summary and full proposal), the results will be announced the week of 15 December 2025.

The structured summary and full proposal must be submitted simultaneously for both calls through the official forms on the Helmut Horten Foundation website. For additional information and to download the application forms, please refer to the links provided:

• Consortium Projects for Clinical Translation: click here
• Young Investigator Grants: click here