SDN Grant 2021

The Swiss Design Network is the Swiss competence network of design research, established in 2003. Parallel to SARN and SAEN, it connects design researchers from the Swiss Universities of Design and Art. Since its founding, the Swiss Design Network has been promoting and fostering the development, quality and constant improvement of design research in the Swiss Art and Design Universities. The SDN offers its direct support to research projects, participating in the research debate on a national and international level.

Grant Description

The Swiss Design Network sees one of its roles as a supporting body for promising design researchers not only in connecting them but also in financially supporting them to disseminate and publish their research and efforts through workshops and other public formats such as lecture series, podcasts, and publications.

Every year we grant two MA students, Ph.D. Candidates, up-and-coming design researchers, or research groups from Swiss Art and Design Universities CHF 2000 each to realize a workshop, an event, or another similar public activity. The total sum awarded is CHF 4000 per year.

Early-career design researchers, MA students, and Ph.D. Candidates affiliated with all seven Swiss design network member universities are eligible to apply to this open call. This competitive funding is awarded regardless of university location or language criteria, but is based solely on the quality of the submission.

The anonymized applications will be evaluated by the Swiss Design Network Board and the granted applicants will be notified within a reasonable time after the evaluation.

SDN Grant: Guidelines

This description will serve as a basis for the project assessment based on the Grant selection criteria:

• Originality/novelty of the idea
• Potential for significant / broader / sustainable impact

The Application must consist of original text written by the applicant themselves and it must be written in English. Please see the description form for more information. Sources must be cited correctly. The SDN board reserves its right to reject any application that don’t fulfil the selection criteria.

The project description must be anonymized. The evaluators shouldn’t be able to identify the applicant’s identity or affiliation. We kindly ask you to rename the Project Description.PDF with the name of your project. 

Requirements for applicants:

• Affiliated or matriculated at a Swiss Art and Design University in our network
• Event / Intervention must be public or have a public dimension

We will only accept applications submitted through our submission form. 

Please follow this link to our submission form, where you will be asked to upload your project description PDF and enter the following information:

• Title of the project (required)
• Short project description (max. 1000 characters) (required)
• Name and affiliation of researcher (required)
• Contact information (required)
• Social Media handles
• Website
• Short bio (max 200 words) (required)

Requirements after a successful application:

• Summary of intervention to be published on SDN website
• Pictures or visual results of the intervention (if available). Please see our Workshop page for reference: workshops
• Press kit for social media dissemination and
• Possible follow up with coordinator

If you have any question don’t hesitate to get in touch with our coordinator:
Mayar El Bakry: coordinator@swissdesignnetwork.ch