The Swiss National Science Foundation is offering a 20 per cent top-up on grants for postdoctoral researchers to assist them in balancing their work and family commitments.
The “120 per cent support grant” will be available from 1 June. It is intended to discourage gifted young researchers from drifting away from an academic career because of the financial and time pressures of parenthood.
Available to any postdocs working on SNSF-funded projects, the grants allow researchers to reduce their working hours. The extra funding will enable them to hire a support person, such as technicians or laboratory assistants, to carry out some of their work duties while they spend more time with their children.
Alternatively, the money could be used as a contribution towards childcare costs, or the postdoc can choose a combination of the two options, the SNSF said.
These arrangements for funding postdoc students form part of the SNSF action plan for 2013-16.
“Reconciling the demands of work and family life is a major challenge in any effort to promote junior researchers. The 120 per cent model is designed to permit more flexible career planning and to prevent research activities from being delayed or ended altogether,” the SNSF explained in a statement.
Full details of the application process will be published on the foundation’s website from 1 June.