The program is aimed at individuals who:

• hold an MD and/or PhD, and have relevant experience and expertise in the respective research field
• are at an early stage of their independent academic career, supported by the host institution, and wish to further develop their scientific profile with the Foundation’s support

The Foundation does not provide support for applicants’ own salaries or for researchers who are already firmly established, such as holders of chairs or directors of clinics.

Preference is given to projects that investigate biological processes at the molecular level and connect them causally to disease development and progression, as well as to novel therapeutic approaches that target and modify these processes.

Relevant topics with direct links to disease include:

• Genetic and genomic drivers of disease
• Epigenetics and gene regulation
• Cell signalling and regulatory networks
• Cancer biology and tumor evolution
• Protein function, misfolding, and aggregation
• RNA biology and post-transcriptional regulation
• Immunology and inflammation
• Host-pathogen interactions and infectious diseases
• Metabolism and metabolic reprogramming
• Organelle dysfunction and cellular stress in disease

Scientific approaches (such as AI and statistical modeling) that generate new hypothesis by interrogating high-dimensional biological and clinical data and infer disease causing molecular mechanisms and pathways are encouraged.

Studies may be performed on cell culture and/or animal models, but should at least in part be performed on human tissue specimens and/or cells bearing relevance to diseases.

Research with low funding priorities include:

• purely methodological or in silico studies
• descriptive population genetics studies, including linkage and association studies
• projects focused exclusively on drug screening
• research without a direct connection to disease
• projects centered on the development of new animal models to be investigated within the proposed funding period
• projects that do not include disease-relevant human cell systems or human tissue samples
• diagnostic or primarily therapy-oriented projects

Further information on application procedures, deadlines, and requirements can be found in the Foundation’s General Instructions and Notes, as well as in the recommended outline for biomedical applications.