Who can submit nominations?
Nominations can be submitted by the following groups of people: members of the research community in Switzerland, i.e. active researchers and senior staff of higher education institutions and research institutions, as well as members of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences; members of the National Research Council of the SNSF; representatives of other institutions under public or private law, and members of the board of trustees of the Marcel Benoist Foundation. Candidates cannot nominate themselves. Members of the board of trustees of the Marcel Benoist Foundation are not eligible for the prize. It is possible to re-submit a nomination for a candidate the following year.
Who can be nominated?
Nominees must fulfil the following conditions:
- Place of residence must be in Switzerland.
- The candidate must spend at least 50% of their time working at a Swiss research institution.
- The relevant work on which the nomination is based must have been conducted predominantly in Switzerland.
- The candidate must be an active, well-established researcher, i.e. not just at the start of their career, with a promising future career ahead of them.
- The work for which the candidate would receive the award must be of a scientific nature regarding discoveries, inventions or studies in the humanities or social sciences.
2018 selection process
At the beginning of March the research community was invited to submit nominations for the award of this year’s prize by 11 May.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) draws up a long list of all nominees who meet the defined criteria. The evaluation committee then assesses the candidates and compiles a short list of between three and five nominees. Following a thorough examination it will select the prize winner. The Marcel Benoist Foundation is expected to announce the name in September.
This year’s Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist will be presented by the president of the Marcel Benoist Foundation, Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, at an official ceremony in Bern on 15 November.