Leading House Asia Pacific Funding Call 2025

We welcome applications from Swiss-based researchers to collaborate with research, policy or innovation partners in any of the Asia-Pacific countries that form part of the Leading House mandate.

This year’s call introduces two funding schemes – the Scientific Collaboration Fund and the Mobility Fund. The Scientific Collaboration Fund invites proposals for projects developing ambitious research networks or addressing important policy challenges. The Mobility Fund supports short-term mobility for PhD researchers, including PhD exchanges and placements in collaboration with academic start-ups.

SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION FUND

Research Network Grant

This strand supports trilateral or multilateral research networks between universities or research institutes in Switzerland and in the Asia Pacific, involving at least two countries in the region.

Funding support: up to CHF50,000 per project.

Policy Engagement Grant

This grant supports engagement with policy stakeholders in the Asia Pacific to address policy challenges, inform policy briefs or guidelines, or provide training for policy research or leadership.

Funding support: up to CHF20,000 per project. 

MOBILITY FUND

Future Leaders Exchange

This fund supports reciprocal PhD mobility and lab-to-lab exchanges of 2 weeks to 6 months between universities in Switzerland and in the Asia-Pacific.

Funding support: up to CHF20,000 per project.

Innovation Partnership Grant

This grant supports academic start-ups in the Asia-Pacific to connect with the Swiss innovation ecosystem through PhD mobility of 2 weeks to 6 months.

Funding support: up to CHF20,000 per project.

Key dates

Deadline for submission: 8 March 2026 (17:00 CET)

Results will be announced in May 2026.

Projects start between 1 July and 31 December 2026, for a duration of 1-2 years (depending on the funding strand).

Apply

Please refer to the call guidelines for further information, including full eligibility criteria and submission requirements. 

Eligible Countries:

Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN member states (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam).

About the Leading House Asia Pacific 

The Leading House Asia Pacific is a bilateral science cooperation programme of Switzerland with the Asia-Pacific region. Funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Leading House is hosted by the University of Zurich (UZH) with the mandate to coordinate activities on behalf of the entire Swiss higher educator sector for the 2025-2028 funding period. Through seed funding instruments and outreach events, the program fosters partnerships with academic, policy and innovation stakeholders across the ASEAN member states, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Learn more.