Research

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zurich is one of the world’s leading health institutions.

Research at the Faculty of Medicine involves the areas of innovation, translation, and implementation.

Through freedom of research and by providing outstanding infrastructure, the Faculty of Medicine fosters excellence in research and trains the next generation of clinician scientists.

The resulting diversity in broadest sense empowers us to improve human health through research and translation of novel knowledge.

We provide fertile soil to our basic researchers and clinician scientists working in research institutions at the University of Zurich or at one of our academic hospitals.

• University Hospital Zurich
• University Childrens’ Hospital Zurich
• Balgrist University Hospital
• Psychiatric University Hospital

Contact: Prof. Maries van den Broek, Vice-Dean for Research

National Center of Competence in Research

The University of Zurich and the Faculty of Medicine are part of prestigious National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCRs). These large programs are multidisciplinary and involve different Swiss universities.
National Center of Competence in Research

Hochschulmedizin Zurich

“Hochschulmedizin Zurich” supports multidisciplinary research projects in biomedicine and therefore, promotes the sustainable building of novel science networks, competence centers and platforms in Zurich.
Hochschulmedizin UZH

The LOOP Zurich

The LOOP Zurich is a translational research center with a focus on biomedicine and bioinformatics. The LOOP Zurich supports projects that optimally exploit the unique and complementing expertise of the University of Zurich, the ETH Zurich and our four academic hospitals in a concerted action.
The LOOP Zurich

University Research Priority Programs

The University of Zurich has installed University Research Priority Programs (URPPs) that support innovative, high-risk/high-gain, cross-faculty research consortia. URPPs are supported for 12 years and oftentimes yield sustainable research networks and platforms.
University Research Priority Programs

Clinical Research Priority Programs

Like URPPs, the Clinical Research Priority Programs (CRPPs) support multidisciplinary consortia withing the Faculty of Medicine. Fostering physician scientists is an important goal of these programs.

Core Facilities and Technology Platforms

The University of Zurich offers state-of-the-art core facilities and technology platforms to researchers on all academic levels.
Technology Platforms

On September 28, 2021, the executive board of the university approved the open science policy. The aim is to establish Open Science as the norm.

Open Science

Open Access of publications (SNSF)

Submitting publications to ZORA – step by step

Depositing a publication in ZORA (pre-print, post-print or publisher’s PDF; Green Open Access) – step by step

University Library on Open Access Publication

The University of Zurich has a policy of transparency concerning research involving animals. The Faculty of Medicine stands up for the necessity of animal experimentation in a respectful and responsible way.

More information can be found here
Research involving animals

DESAT

By using the “Data Protection and Ethics Self-Assessment Tool” (DESAT), researchers can assess, whether their research project involves any data protection and ethical issues that require further investigations. More information can be found here:
Data Protection and Ethics Self-Assessment Tool

KEK

Clinical research usually requires approval by the Cantonal Ethics Commitee (KEK); using DESAT helps to evaluate, whether the research project falls into the scope of the Human Research Act. More information can be found here:
Kantonale Ethikkommission

UZH Department of Data Protection

The UZH Department of Data Protection can be contacted for consulation in case os specific data protection issues. More information can be found here:
UZH Department of Data Protection

USZ Clinical Trial Center

The Clinical Trial Center of the University Hospital Zurich supports researchers in finding solutions for data protection and ethical issues. More information can be found here:
USZ Clinical Trials Center

Commission for Research Strategy

The commission for research strategy supports the faculty in implementing pursuing its mission.

Members:
Prof. Matthias Baumgartner
Prof. Maries van den Broek
Prof. Sebastian Jessberger
Prof. Klaas Enno Stephan
Prof. Bruno Weber
Prof. Claudia Witt

Contact: Prof. Maries van den Broek

Research Commission of the Faculty of Medicine

The research commission is responsible for reviewing grant applications submitted to local foundations as well as to university research programs. The members of the research commission represent the individual disciplines of our faculty.

Prof. Adriano Aguzzi 
Prof. Matthias Baumgartner
Prof. Burkhard  Becher
Prof. Felix Beuschlein
Prof. Maries van den Broek
Prof. Olivier Devuyst
Prof. Oliver Distler
Prof. Raimund Dutzler
Prof. Thomas Frauenfelder
Prof. Philipp Fürnstahl
Prof. Ana Guerreiro Stücklin
Prof. Simon Hoerstrup
Prof. Sebastian Jessberger
Prof. Ronald Jung
Prof. Brigitte Leeners
Prof. Kuno Lehmann
Prof. Mitch Levesque
Prof. Holger Moch
Prof. Anne Müller
Prof. Milo Puhan
Prof. Boris Quednow
Prof. Gerhard Rogler
Prof. Frank Ruschitzka
Prof. Erich Seifritz 
Prof. Lukas Sommer
Prof. Klaas Enno Stephan
Prof. Silke Sterz
Prof. Dominik Straumann
Prof. Arnold von Eckardstein
Prof. Annelies Zinkernagel

Contact: Prof. Maries van den Broek

Assistant Professors

Our assistant professors have a background in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or life sciences and work as basic scientists or physician scientists. We offer individual mentoring meetings once a year as well as a biannual community-building event ( APéro).

APAC_e (PDF, 100 KB)

Program_APéro (PDF, 99 KB)

Master of Science in Medical Biology

The Faculty of Science offers a Master of Science program for students of medicine, veterinary medicine, or dentistry.

Master of Science in Biomedicine

PhD Programs

The University of Zurich hosts a unique diversity of PhD programs (graduate schools) dedicated to life sciences.

Four programs are hosted by the Faculty of Medicine:

• Care & Rehabilitation Science
• Clinical Science
• Biomedical Ethics and Law
• MD-PhD

A complete list and further information about all PhD programs in the Life Science Graduate School Zurich can be found here

• All PhD-Programs

Overview of Funding Programs

An overview of funding programs can be found here
Research Funding

Funding Opportunities for Clinician Scientists

The Faculty of Medicine has established three unique funding programs to promote the career of clinician scientists. Both competitive programs cover protected research time, thus enabling the balancing act between clinical duties and research. Grantees will be mentored throughout the grant period.

Recognizing the demanding nature of clinician scientists' roles, UMZH is launching the first call for the Advanced Clinician Scientist Program, which aims to boost the research careers of clinician scientists while supporting their clinical work. The program operates on a three-year funding cycle, offering resources for an independent research project, with an annual funding limit of CHF 200.000.
Link to Calls

Filling the Gap is a 2-year career development plan 
Filling the Gap

ERC-for-me specifically supports clinician scientists by protected time to conceive and write an ERC Starting Grant or ERC Consolidator Grant. Currently, Switzerland is excluded from the ERC programs, but the SNSF covers this vacuum (SNSF Starting Grants). Therefore, clinician scientists are emphatically invited to submit ERC-for-me proposals.
ERC-for-me - Guidelines (PDF, 157 KB)

Foundations

Various local foundations offer funding opportunities researchers of the Faculty of Medicine.

List of foundations that support research in (bio)medicine:
Foundations and Awards

List of foundations that support research in specific areas:
Stiftungen und Preise (PDF, 419 KB)

MeF Connects

MeF Connects (PDF, 1 MB)

Annual Biomedicine Community Day

1st Annual Biomedicine Community Day (PDF, 110 KB)

Seminar

Cutting Edge Topics: Seminars in Immunology & Infection Biology

Lecture series in Molecular Life Sciences

Seminars in Evolutionary Medicine

Oncology Seminar Series

Seminars Institute of Molecular Cancer Research

Seminars at the Institute of Anatomy 

Seminars at the Institute of Physiology 

Seminars at the Department of Quantitative Biomedicine

Seminars at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology

ERC

ERC Starting Grants (incl. SNSF Grants during unassociated status of Switzerland in 2014 and from 2021 onward)

ERC Consolidator Grants (incl. SNSF Grants during unassociated status of Switzerland in 2014 and from 2021 onward)

ERC Advanced Grants (incl. SNSF Grants during unassociated status of Switzerland in 2014 and from 2021 onward)

ERC Synergy Grants

SNSF-Ambizione, -PRIMA and -Eccellenza

SNSF PRIMA Fellowship (2017-2021) 

SNSF Assistant Professors (until 2017), SNSF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowships (from 2018 onwards)

NCCR, UFSP 

NCCR, MeF leading house

NCCR with MeF participation

UFSP, MeF leading house

UFSP with MeF participation

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