Seed Funding

To foster interdisciplinary research on criminal law, crime prevention, criminology, forensic psychiatry and related topics and to help build new collaborations at UZH and beyond, CrimeLab^UZH launches a call for seed funding for projects to be submitted to Swiss or international competitive funding schemes, such as SNSF or Innosuisse. The primary purpose of the seed funding is to enable preparatory work that substantially strengthens a competitive external grant application.

Funds can only be administered and spent at UZH. At least one applicant must be an academic researcher affiliated with UZH and will serve as the UZH-based grant holder. Researchers and practice partners from other institutions may participate in the project, but seed funding cannot be transferred to external institutions.

Projects may request between CHF 5,000 and CHF 20,000. The funds must be used within 12 months from the award of the grant.

• Thematic relevance: The project must be connected to at least one of the four CrimeLab research pillars (Causes of crime, Control of crime, Victims of crime, New forms of crime).
• Interdisciplinarity: The project should include significant contributions from at least two different disciplines; priority will be given to projects that establish new interdisciplinary collaborations or substantially expand existing collaborations in a new direction.
• Translation and societal relevance: Where applicable, projects should demonstrate potential to contribute to policy, professional practice, crime prevention, criminal justice, or other relevant societal applications.
• Scientific quality: The project should have a clear research question, be innovative and apply state-of-the-art research methods.
• Feasibility: The proposed seed-funded activities must be achievable within the requested budget and funding period and must realistically contribute to the preparation of the planned external funding application.

• At least one application for external funding will be submitted within 12 months of the start of the seed funding grant.
• The funds may be used for up to one year from the date of approval.
• The seed funding is intended to cover expenses directly related to the preparation of a grant proposal for an external funding agency. Eligible costs include the employment of assistants that conduct pilot studies or support with the preparation of the submission of the project. The funding cannot be used for research activities that are not directly related to the preparation of the planned external funding proposal, regular teaching duties, or general-purpose equipment.
• Grants cannot be renewed or extended.
• Unused funds will be reclaimed and returned to the fund for the next application cycle.
• The CrimeLab reserves the right to adjust the requested budget. In the event of a reduction, the grant will be awarded only after the applicants have explicitly agreed to the adjusted budget.
• Grant recipients will be asked to provide a brief report (max. 1 page) on the use of the funds and the resulting external funding application.

Applications will be evaluated by the CrimeLab Directorate and the management office based on the selection criteria listed above. Members of the Directorate who are involved in an application or have another conflict of interest will not participate in the evaluation. Applicants will be informed of the funding decision approximately by the end of October. The CrimeLab may invite applicants to provide additional information or clarification during the evaluation process.

To apply, please send the following documents by 30.09.2026 to crimelab@ius.uzh.ch:

1. CV of the principal applicants (max. 2 pages including selected publications)
2. The completed application template (DOCX, 258 KB) (title page plus max. 2 pages) as a PDF. The application can be submitted in German or English.
3. If the proposed project depends on significant contributions from external practice partners (e.g., access to data, study participants, facilities or infrastructure), please provide a letter of support from the respective institution.