What the scheme is about

The Swiss 3RCC’s 3Rs Support Grants fund smaller-scale projects that move the 3Rs principle forward in practice across Switzerland. They are designed for focused, short-term work where a modest amount of funding can make a real difference: putting an established approach into routine use, generating the preliminary data needed to take an idea further, or bringing a method to a wider community of users.

Support Grants cover the full breadth of the 3Rs. A project might develop or validate a non-animal model, optimise an experimental design that reduces the number of animals required, or implement a refinement that improves animal welfare. What unites funded projects is not the specific 3R area, but the ambition to deliver a tangible, shareable benefit to 3Rs practice in Switzerland.

What kinds of projects fit

Support Grants are deliberately flexible. Examples of activities that fit well within the scheme include:

• Implementing an established 3Rs method in a research group for the first time, including the training and materials needed to do so.
• Generating preliminary or proof-of-concept data for a new 3Rs approach, in order to demonstrate feasibility before pursuing larger funding.
• Further optimising or validating an existing technique and sharing the results with the wider community.
• Covering the consumables and hands-on training that enable a 3Rs improvement to be adopted in day-to-day research.
• Organising open, Swiss-wide workshops or training events that promote the uptake of one or more 3Rs approaches.
• Other initiatives that encourage the widespread use of a 3Rs technique beyond a single laboratory.

Across all of these, the 3RCC places a strong and consistent emphasis on communication and dissemination of results. A Support Grant is not only about doing the work — it is about ensuring that what is learned is shared, so that other researchers, animal care staff, and institutions can benefit from it.

Funding and duration

• Expected budget range: approximately CHF 1,000 to CHF 20,000.
• Maximum duration: 24 months.

Eligible costs include salaries, consumables and materials, animal costs, project-related services, and expenses for travel, meetings, and communication of results. Infrastructure, overheads, administration of funds, and publication costs are not covered and are expected to be contributed by the host institution. Full details are set out in the Funding Regulations.

Who can apply

Applicants must be affiliated with a recognised non-profit research institution based in Switzerland — such as a Swiss university, federal institute of technology, university of applied sciences, university hospital, or non-commercial research centre — and have the institutional support needed to carry out the proposed work. Both individual researchers and groups are welcome to apply. Co-applicants and collaborations, including across institutions, are encouraged.

For the precise eligibility conditions, please refer to the Funding Regulations.

How projects are assessed

Applications are reviewed by the 3RCC’s Grant Review Panel, which is composed of internationally recognised 3Rs experts. Proposals are evaluated on:

• Scientific quality — innovation, added value, and interdisciplinary relevance.
• Impact on the 3Rs — clear integration of the 3Rs principle, measurable benefit for replacement, reduction, or animal welfare, and potential for adoption by other groups.
• Feasibility — a realistic plan, sound risk management, and the partnerships needed for success.
• Communication — a clear plan for sharing results with non-specialist audiences and stakeholders.
• Openness — commitment to sharing data and results transparently through Open Access.

All applicants receive written feedback from the reviewers after the decision.

How to apply

Applications are submitted online through the 3RCC Grant Platform as a single-step process. A Letter of Support from the host institution is required at submission. The 3Rs Node Coordinator at your institution can support you throughout the application process and is a good first point of contact if you are considering applying.