Young Talents in Clinical Research

The Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS launched the Young Talents in Clinical Research (YTCR) funding program in 2017 to encourage more young medical doctors to start out in clinical research. After two successful funding periods (2017–2020 and 2021–2024), the Bangerter Foundation has generously committed to funding the program for a period of four more years (2025–2028) with CHF 1 million per year.

Medical doctors engaged in clinical research are faced with many challenges, including a lack of time, particularly during medical training, and a scarcity of funding for research projects. There is no system-inherent support in Switzerland for young doctors starting out in clinical research: They must acquire the necessary theoretical and practical skills mostly on their own. By funding «beginner grants» for protected time for research and «project grants», the Young Talents in Clinical Research program contributes to filling this gap. YTCR thus aligns with the goals of the White Paper Clinical Research and of the renewed Masterplan Biomedicine of the Confederation.

Research fields eligible for support

Clinical research is defined here as research involving humans (patients and healthy people) as well as research on the causes and consequences of disease involving material of human origin and health-related personal data that aim to improve the prevention, diagnosis, cure, and care of diseases. Clinical research includes quality-controlled scientific investigations on human physiology, pathophysiology or disease; epidemiologic and behavioral studies; outcomes or health services research; studies on the development of new technologies; and clinical trials.

Funding instruments

Beginner grant to finance protected research time:
max. CHF 75’000 per person, spread over 1 to 2 years.
Project grant for a consecutive research project:
max. CHF 40’000 per year for up to 2 years.

The research supported must take place in Switzerland.

Participation requirements

Assistant doctors working in Switzerland having obtained their medical degree no more than five years before the submission deadline, and who have not been involved in clinical research except during their undergraduate medical studies and/or during their MD thesis, can apply for a beginner grant to start out in clinical research. In a subsequent step, grantees can submit a proposal for a project grant provided that they have obtained their medical degree no more than 8 years before the submission deadline. Exceptions to the eligibility window are possible in justified cases.

Applicants enrolled in a PhD or MD-PhD in clinical research are not eligible for support through the YTCR funding program.

Grantees are expected to gain formal knowledge in clinical research by attending courses, for instance those offered by the CTU network, that best fit their clinical specialty and career objectives. In addition, an experienced mentor must guarantee scientific and personal support to the grantee.

The detailed participation requirements and evaluation criteria are described in the program regulations and in the FAQ (will be updated).

Evaluation procedure

The evaluation of applications for a beginner grant takes place in two stages: Applications are first reviewed by the YTCR Committee; preselected applicants are then invited to an interview with the committee, which makes a final funding recommendation to the Bangerter Foundation. Applications for a project grant are evaluated solely on the basis of the submitted proposal.

Submission of applications

Applications must be written in English and registered online. Details about the application format and submission procedure are available on the registration page and in the FAQ which will both be updated until the opening of the next call.