CRS Seed Grants
Seed Grants for “Research Synthesis and Meta-Research”
CRS Seed Grants provide an excellent opportunity for conducting research synthesis and meta-research in collaborative projects at the CRS. Our grants aim to establish collaborations and support early-stage projects in these areas. We place special emphasis on projects that advance the sustainable development of the Swiss “research on research” landscape, as well as projects that lay the groundwork for larger, collaborative grant proposals. Seed Grants can cover salaries and a variety of project-related expenses.
Eligibility: All researchers employed at Swiss research institutions (PhD student or later).
Deadline: 1 April 2026
Funding: CHF 5’000 – 20'000 per grant. Ca. 6 grants per call will be funded.
Duration: 1 – 12 months
The Center for Reproducible Science and Research Synthesis (CRS) at the University of Zurich (UZH) works to advance scientific methods, practices, norms, and incentives that produce trustworthy and reproducible research. We are excited to announce our first call for Seed Grants, designed to support promising projects and initiatives in research synthesis and meta-research. We invite all researchers working in Swiss institutions to seize this opportunity to advance the Swiss “research on research” landscape.
Purpose of the Seed Grants
The purpose of the Seed Grants is to:
- Foster innovation and establish collaborations in interdisciplinary research synthesis, meta-research and related fields (e.g. reproducible science, scientific integrity, research assessment).
- Provide financial support for early-stage projects and ideas.
- Facilitate the preparation of grant proposals for larger funding opportunities.
- Further develop the “research on research” landscape at UZH and in Switzerland.
- Invite established or prospective research synthesizers and meta-researchers to the CRS.
Research Themes
Research synthesis is the scientific process of systematically evaluating and integrating evidence from multiple sources to answer specific research questions. Traditionally associated with systematic reviews and meta-analyses, we consider research synthesis to include a wider range of methodologies, such as individual participant data meta-analysis, federated learning, AI-tools for research synthesis, qualitative and mixed-methods synthesis, and other approaches that combine diverse data types, research designs, and analytical methods. The goal of research synthesis is to draw comprehensive and reliable conclusions by assembling, assessing and integrating existing evidence.
Classical meta-analysis has already been concerned with distortions in the published literature that could bias meta-analytical conclusions. The emerging field of research on research, or meta-research, extends this approach by combining it with elements from the sociology of science, from history of science, and from ‘scientometrics’. The goal of meta-research is to advance our understanding of scientific practice and/or support the development of more robust, credible, and socially valuable research systems. Meta-research projects may focus on evaluating and enhancing the efficiency, quality, and transparency of research processes — from study design, conduct and documentation to publication systems and funding mechanisms — or take an even broader perspective, exploring the norms, values, and epistemic foundations of science itself.
This call also covers areas related to research synthesis and meta-research, including reproducible science, scientific integrity, research assessment. It is open for theoretical reflections, empirical studies, methodological and computational innovations, or case-based insights from all disciplines.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold an academic or research position (PhD student or later) at a Swiss research institution over the duration of the proposed project. (Exceptions can be made for researchers with recent employment in such a position and a relevant track record.) “Swiss research institutions” refers to all institutions whose researchers are eligible for SNSF project funding.
Funding available
Funding of CHF 5’000 – 20’000 can cover salaries, research expenses, data acquisition, pilot studies, and other project-related costs.
Ca. 6 projects can be funded in this call. The grants are administered directly by the University of Zurich; they are not transferred to other institutions. Grants may not be used to cover infrastructure or output-related costs (e.g. computing devices, article processing costs).
Review and Selection Process
The evaluation criteria are:
- Scientific quality
- Potential for scaling and obtaining substantial third-party funding
- Relevance to fostering a sustainable, innovative, and diverse Swiss “research on research” community
- Commitment to good research practices, open science, and reproducibility
Proposals will be evaluated by the CRS Steering Committee with support of the external Advisory Board. Each reviewer will grade each criterion on a scale from 1 to 5. Proposals with the highest average score across all criteria and reviewers will be selected. The committee has discretion to additionally select proposals that increase the disciplinary and demographic diversity.
For successful grant applications, a member of the CRS will be assigned to oversee the project.
Application Document
Applicants are required to submit the following:
Executive summary: Abstract (max. 300 words)
Project Description: A clear and concise description of the project, including objectives, methods, and expected outcomes (max. 2 pages, plus references).
Budget Proposal: A budget plan outlining how the grant funds will be utilized.
CV of main applicant.
All documents must be submitted as a single PDF file named {last name}_{first name}_Proposal_CRS_Seed_Grant_2026.pdf via email to crs@ebpi.uzh.ch.
Reporting
- Successful applicants are expected to start their projects within 3 months of the notification of acceptance.
- They are also expected to report their progress and/or outcomes at a symposium of all seed grant holders.
- If the seed grant results in a larger grant proposal – which is the goal – the CRS requests to be informed. If the seed grant does not result in a larger grant proposal, a report describing outcomes, challenges and future plans is expected.
- The support of the CRS has to be credited.
Timeline
Application Deadline: 01.04.2026
Grant Recipient Announcement: June 2026
Project duration: 1 – 12 months. The grant will be transferred upfront at the start of the project.
Contact Information
For inquiries and additional information, please contact:
crs@ebpi.uzh.ch