SPI FOREL Grants

The call for proposals is now open. The deadline for submission is 15 June 2025, 12:00 (noon, Swiss time).

About the FOREL Research Platform and SPI FOREL Grants

Managed by the Forel Heritage Association, FOREL is a 28-metre-long sailing boat with an aluminium hull dedicated to oceanographic research in polar and sub-polar regions, specifically in coastal areas inaccessible to larger research vessels.

The Forel Heritage Association is aiming at supporting polar and sub-polar coastal research and remediation with a strong emphasis on land–ocean–atmosphere continuum supported by converging technologies. This includes promotion of the development of technological platforms and tools. Promoting collaboration and exchanges with local communities as well as training young polar researchers are given high priority.

The SPI FOREL Grants support Swiss-based scientists who wish to use the FOREL Research Platform in such environments by allowing them to launch short-term new ideas (for example pilot projects), fund additional fieldwork or launch new collaborations with financial support for logistics. Collaboration with new teams or across disciplines are particularly encouraged, as well as participation in larger/international activities. The grants can be used to complement the funding of initiatives supported by larger funding schemes (e.g. SNSF, EU, etc.).

Eligible costs and financial support

The grants are destined to cover costs for up to CHF 75,000.- per successfully evaluated project. A detailed budget will be requested from each applicant. The total annual budget allocated to SPI FOREL Grants is capped at CHF 320,000.-.

Eligible costs:

  • travel costs to port of call and back;
  • per diems for access to the ship (CHF 1,000/person/day);
  • shipment of scientific equipment or material, and samples;
  • purchase and installation of scientific equipment aboard FOREL;
  • purchase of consumables (in duly justified cases);
  • rental of scientific equipment or sensing systems.

Non-eligible costs:

  • overhead;
  • costs relating to salaries of permanent positions;
  • costs relating to scientific exchange (stay in another lab/research facility) and the organisation of workshops;
  • initiatives which are not directly inserted into a research activity (sports, arts, adventure, outreach, …).

Geographical focus

The SPI FOREL Grants fund Swiss-based scientists active in coastal polar and subpolar regions, the Arctic and Antarctic, on board the FOREL vessel. The geographic focus and calendar of the FOREL is defined annually by the Forel Heritage Association and communicated ahead of each FOREL Grant call for proposals.

2026 season:

  • Leg 1 – 15 June to 15 July: Scientific work on board FOREL will be embedded into the CASCADES expedition’s scientific plan and focus on complementary regions to those covered by the CCGS Amundsen with the goal to broaden the geographic coverage and scientific scope of the of the expedition.
  • Leg 2 – 15 July to 1 September: FOREL will carry out an independent campaign and focus its scientific work around the more rarely visited areas of South-East Greenland.

    FOREL Research Platform 2026 season © 2025 Forel Heritage Association, all rights reserved

Target public

Eligibility as Principal Investigator (PI) is limited to established researchers or post-docs (at least 3 years after PhD graduation). The grants are open to all researchers employed by a Swiss public research institution. Researchers from all fields, also fields considered as “non-typical” for polar sciences (e.g. engineering, materials, medicine, humanities and social sciences, etc.), are encouraged to apply if they have a project to be conducted in a polar context.

Note for scientists based in Canada: Canadian scientists wishing to apply to participate in the Leg 1 on board FOREL are expected to submit their funding application to the TCA management (see below for contact details).

Environmental impact

In view of promoting innovative and sustainable research methods, applicants are asked to take a thoughtful approach weighing the merits of the proposed project against its environmental impact. The proposal should reflect efforts made towards the inclusion of innovative methods for data and sample acquisition, optimised coordination and planning, enhanced collaborations with partners, and the maximisation / pooling of sampling opportunities. While some projects have a greater environmental footprint than others, efforts made by applicants to reduce it must be made explicit in submitted proposals. The offset of carbon emissions should only be applied once all options to avoid and reduce emissions have been exhausted.

Eligibility

Applicants are reminded to study the eligibility rules for this call closely. Ineligible applications will not be submitted for evaluation. To be eligible, proposals must notably respect the call’s general aims, the definition of the call’s target public, eligible costs as well as its geographic focus.

Submission

A complete application file consists of:

  • Completed online application form (contact, main information and proposal)
  • Attachments to be uploaded into online application form as PDF:
    • CVs of the applicant and main partners, incl. publication lists as PDF (compulsory – free format, max 4 pages per person)
    • Letters of support (if relevant)

All application documents must be uploaded through the online application form. Applications sent by email
will not be accepted. Incomplete proposals will be considered ineligible.

The deadline for submission is 15 June 2025 (12:00 noon, Swiss time).

The online application form will be closed on the deadline date. No late applications will be accepted – no exceptions! Should you encounter any problem in the submission process, contact grants@swisspolar.ch. Please note however that troubleshooting in the last minutes before the deadline cannot be guaranteed.

Evaluation

Eligible proposals submitted before the deadline will be evaluated by an ad hoc scientific panel appointed by the SPI and the Forel Heritage Association. The panel may consult the Forel Heritage Association to ensure the feasibility of the proposals.

The proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Scientific merit of the proposed project;
2. Originality of the project;
3. Feasibility (scientific and logistical);
4. Experience and expertise of the PI and partners for the proposed project;
5. Interactions and/or involvement of local communities;
6. Contribution to training of young polar researchers;
7. Added value of the requested funding.

Evaluation results will be transmitted to applicants at the latest four months after the application deadline.
Successful applicants will receive a grant agreement (contract) from SPI specifying the grant’s conditions (reporting, payments, etc.).

Additional information and contact details

For any additional information regarding applications, please contact grants@swisspolar.ch
For any questions regarding the vessel and expedition details, please write to contact@forel-heritage.org
Canadian researchers wishing to apply for shiptime on FOREL in the context of Leg 1 can contact Marie-Helene.Forget@takuvik.ulaval.ca from the Transforming Climate Action Research Program.