The SCOPES programme (Scientific co-operation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC), promotes scientific co-operation between research groups and institutions in Switzerland and Eastern Europe.

The current programme phase, SCOPES 2009-2012, has a total of CHF 16 million available and includes the following instruments:

Joint Research Projects (JRP)
JRP provide funding for researchers from partner countries to carry out innovative projects with Swiss colleagues on specific problems in all areas of investigator-driven research. Research is carried out at the Eastern European and Swiss research facilities involved; however, reciprocal visits and short stays in Switzerland for researchers from Eastern Europe are possible.

Institutional Partnerships (IP)
IP are intended to contribute to the development and modernisation of institutional aspects of research and teaching institutions in Eastern Europe, and to increase their attractiveness and international competitiveness by improving basic overall conditions. They do not directly fund research projects.

Preparatory Grants (PG)
PG facilitate the elaboration of proposals for JRP and IP. They provide scientists from the partner countries and from Switzerland with a financial contribution towards the costs of a meeting to prepare and elaborate a JRP or IP proposal.

Valorisation Grants (VG)
VG are designed to increase the impact and sustainability of research results generated from JRP and IP.

Conference Grants (CG)
CG provide funding for travel and accommodation for researchers from partner countries to participate in international scientific conferences held in Switzerland. This instrument is not connected to a JRP or IP.

There are no specific thematic requirements. However, the JRP and IP must, besides having scientific quality, show potential for development possibilities (capacity building) for the Eastern European partner(s).

There are two categories of partner countries:

• A first group (West Balkan States, South Caucasus and Central Asia as well as Moldavia and the Ukraine)
• A second group (Eastern European members of the EU as well as Croatia and Russia).

Bilateral projects (JRP et IP) are only possible with partners of the first group. Tri- and multilateral partnerships can be launched with countries from both categories, whereby at least half of the Eastern partners must be from the first category.

The financial means are mainly earmarked for the Eastern European partners. However, on the Swiss side, the co-ordination costs will be covered. The amount of funding per project depends on the number of Eastern European partners.