Call for proposal

The Brocher Foundation offers visiting Researchers the opportunity to come to the Brocher Centre in a peaceful park on the shores of Lake Geneva, to write books, journal articles, essays or Ph.D. theses. The visiting researcher positions are an opportunity to meet other researchers from various disciplines and countries as well as experts from numerous International Organizations & Non Governmental Organizations based in Geneva, such as the WHO, WTO, WIPO, UNHCR, ILO, WMA, ICRC, and more.

They afford all Researchers (from Ph.D. students to Professors) the opportunity to work at the Brocher Centre on projects about the ethical, legal and social implications of recent medical research and new technologies.  Researchers can also apply with one or two other Researchers to work on a collaborative project.

“Junior” visiting Researchers can apply for an additional scholarship in order to cover their travel and local expenses in Geneva. To be eligible for the Additional scholarship for Junior Researchers, the applicant must either be a current Ph.D. student or have obtained their PhD within a maximum of five years at the time of application. The applicant should not receive any other income during their time at the Foundation.

Applications from low and middle-income countries are highly encouraged.

Ethical, Legal & Social Implications of recent medical research and new medical technologies:

Bioethics, Medical Anthropology, Health Economics, Health Policy, Health Law, Philosophy of Medicine and Health, Medical Humanities, Social Science Perspectives on Health, Medical Ethics, History of medicine. Equitable access to medical care, Biobanks, Biosecurity and Dual-Use Dilemmas, Clinical Trials and Research on Human Subjects, Genetic testing and screening, Health Care Reform, Nanotechnology, Neglected diseases, Pandemic planning, Reproductive technology, Stem Cells and Cell Therapy, Organ transplantation, Telemedicine, Neurosciences, Synthetic Biology.

Applications must be submitted by March 6 2025 at 1PM GENEVA TIME (not GMT).

No technical assistance will be provided after 1PM GENEVA TIME (not GMT) and applications submitted after this time will NOT be considered.

In order not to overload our computer system and generate last-minute problems, we recommend that you plan your application ahead of time and not wait until the last day to submit it.

The final results of this call for proposals will be communicated by the end of April 2025 at the latest. 

CONDITIONS

Configuration

Workshops may have a maximum of 30 participants of which 12 participants (including a minimum of 6 coming from European countries) will be entirely sponsored by the Foundation (travel, accommodation, and catering).

Travel Grant

The Brocher Foundation offers a grant of up to a maximum of CHF 6000 to cover the travel expenses of 12 participants.

       a) The grant covers only air/railway travel costs and cannot be allocated to other costs (such as taxis).

       b) CHF 3000 will be paid when the proposal is selected.

The applicants will have to submit a financial report at the latest 60 days after the end of the workshop. It will have to include a summary with receipts of travel expenses of each sponsored participant (maximum 2 pages).The remaining amount will be paid to your institution after receipt of the requested material.

       c) If the grant amount is not fully spent by the applicants, the credit balance will be retained by the Foundation.

       d) The grant only covers round trip economy class plane or train tickets to Geneva.

       e) If the workshop is cancelled, the Foundation will request a refund of the CHF 3000.

              f) Invoices must include an amount in Swiss Francs and will be paid in Swiss Francs to avoid any exchange currency rate differences.

Accommodation

For a group of 30:

• 21 participants will be housed at the Foundation Estate.
• 9 participants will have to arrange and cover their own accommodation in a hotel nearby.

Catering

Number of Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners per participant:

* Non-accommodated participants who wish to eat dinners at the Foundation alongside other participants must order and pay for their meals (CHF 35/ dinner) with our staff 1 week before the workshop.

Communication

Should your proposal be accepted, the Brocher Foundation will ask you to provide:

• a list of at least ten people interested in attending your workshop,
• a short bio and abstract from each speaker (downloadable on the Brocher extranet).

The Brocher Foundation reserves the right to record and/or film the workshop for any future use.

Reports

Applicants must submit, at the latest 60 days after the end of their workshop:

• a scientific report about how objectives were met and workshop outcomes (downloadable on the Brocher extranet).
• a financial report which must include a summary and receipts of the travel expenses of each sponsored participant (maximum 2 pages).
• a hotel report (downloadable on the Brocher extranet).

Remuneration

Speakers will not receive any remuneration for their presentations.

Insurance

Participants are responsible for securing their own travel insurance to cover them in case of any illness, accident or repatriation which may occur during their stay in Switzerland.

Publication

The Brocher Foundation considers the possibility of supporting a publication resulting from the workshop on the following conditions:

1. The excellence of the publication proposal.

2. The publication timeline.

3. Acknowledgment of the Brocher Foundation support and appearance of the Brocher Foundation logo on the cover of the book or publication (upon previous agreement with the Foundation).

The presentation of the following text with the publication:

The Brocher Foundation mission is to encourage research on the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of new medical technologies. Its main activities are to host visiting researchers and to organize symposia, workshops and summer or winter academies. More information on the Brocher Foundation programme is available on brocher.ch.

4. The Brocher Foundation should receive 2 copies of the publication.

If you wish to receive this additional support (this is not automatic) you should reach out to scientificprog@brocher.ch, at the latest 3 months after the end of the workshop, with a proposal that must include: a description of the content of the publication, the type of publication (article, book, etc.), the publisher’s name, the amount requested (maximum CHF 2000), any additional supports required, the author's name and a precise timeline of the project. The proposal should be a maximum of two A4 pages. The Brocher Foundation contribution to a publication is paid directly to the publishing house after invoice receipt and cannot cover writing, editing or administrative costs. The publication has to be finalized within a maximum of 2 years after the acceptance of the additional funding request. 

Computer equipment 

In order to offer optimal performance of the technical equipment at your disposal, we offer the use of a MacBook Pro. The equipment is tested and verified by our team before each workshop. We strongly recommend the use of our equipment, rather than your own, to avoid any technical issues.

We ask you to bring your various documents (presentations, videos, login and zoom password if needed) on a USB key.

Decision

Owing to the high volume of applications, the Brocher Foundation is regrettably unable to provide individual feedback.

Applications must be submitted by March 6 2025 at 1PM  GENEVA TIME (not GMT).

No assistance will be provided after 1PM GENEVA TIME (not GMT).

In order not to overload our computer system and generate last-minute problems, we recommend that you plan your application ahead of time and not wait until the last day to submit it.

The final results of this call for proposals will be communicated by the end of April 2025.