Funding Schemes

The commission of the Faculty of Science as well as the University offers different schemes to promote equal opportunities and to support people with care responsibilities. 

Emily Jäger Lecture

Emily Jäger Lecture

Fund to invite a scientist who is a role model in their scientific field and equal opportunity and diversity in academia. Total funds available 2000 CHF per year.

If you or your institute would like to host the Emilie Jäger Lecture in the future, please contact the chair of the commission.

Winner of the Emilie Jäger Award:

Diversity Grants

Funding up to 8'000 CHF for actions to foster equal opportunities in your department / institut.

Examples of possible activities: stablishing a network, organising workshops and courses, participatory processes, etc.

All members of staff at the Faculty of Sciences -including administrative staff, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and professors- are eligible to apply. Applications should be sent to isabel.perego@unibe.ch and must include:

  • Description of the planned activity — what you intend to do and how it will be implemented

  • Description of how the activity promotes equal opportunities — expected impact and relevance

  • Budget plan — estimated costs and justification

Care funds

Care costs fund

Fund for doctoral students and postdocs who need extra care support during conferences or stays abroad. For example, because they want to take their children with them or need to cover additional care costs caused by external help. A total of CHF 1,000 per person per year is available.

Invited collaborator fund

This fund is aimed at PhD and postdocs who have limited travel options due to care responsibilities, but would like to collaborate with external researchers. It covers travel and accommodation costs up to CHF 1,000.

Relief pool for Professors

The contributions from the relief pool are intended to support measures that promote the use of new working time models (job sharing, part-time) and the compatibility of career and family at professorship level.

The relief pool starts with new appointments and is intended to further increase the attractiveness of the University of Bern for potential applicants.

These guidelines regulate the framework conditions and modalities for the granting of contributions from the relief pool.

For applications, please use the form below.

More information (on german)

120% Care Grant

The Care Grant allows junior researchers with care responsibilities who are employed 80%-100% (see section 7 of the 120% Care Grant Regulations) to temporarily reduce their employment level to at least 60%.