15 Nov 2026
Call for projects
LIVES Young Scholar Grants at the Universities of Lausanne & Geneva
Eligibility and Purpose of the Call
The LIVES Centre provides financial support to early-career researchers for innovative research on the life course. Only non-tenured researchers at the doctoral or postdoctoral level are eligible to apply, and collaborative projects are encouraged. Lead applicants must be either enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Lausanne or the University of Geneva, or be employed as a postdoctoral researcher at one of these institutions with a contract valid through at least until June 30, 2027.
This call supports innovative life-course research projects with a maximum duration of 18 months. The maximum award for a single project is CHF 6,000. Eligible expenses include data collection, fieldwork, costs related to scientific collaboration (e.g., travel and visits), and wages for research assistance (e.g., a student assistant). Expenses related to conference participation or the applicant’s salary are not eligible.
Funding can be used either to write a paper (for PhD students and postdocs) or to develop a new project (for postdocs). A condition of funding is the production of a clearly identifiable deliverable within the timeframe specified in the application: either a working paper or a preprint uploaded to SocArXiv, PsyArXiv, or another open archive (which may later be included in a PhD thesis as a publication), or a submitted project funding proposal (for postdocs).
Successful applicants commit to (a) implementing the research activities within the proposed timeframe, (b) submitting the promised deliverable, and (c) acknowledging LIVES funding in their output (e.g., by including the following statement in the final paper: “This work was supported by a LIVES Young Scholar Grant awarded to [name(s)] by the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Life Course Research (LIVES Centre).”).
Submission
Applications must be submitted by November 15, 2026 to Caroline.Jeanneret@unil.ch (for employees of the University of Lausanne) or Aurelie.Cailleaud@unige.ch (for employees of the University of Geneva). Please submit the following documents in English as a single PDF file (with your last name included in the filename):
- A research plan of no more than three pages (format: minimum 1.5 line spacing, 12 pt font), stating the research question, expected contribution, methods, and expected deliverable
- A breakdown of expected costs
- A timeline for the implementation of the project
- A CV and publication list for each participating applicant
For questions about the call, please contact Nicolas.Sommet@unil.ch (University of Lausanne) or Charikleia.Lampraki@unige.ch (University of Geneva). For questions about cost calculations, contact Caroline.Jeanneret@unil.ch (University of Lausanne) or Aurelie.Cailleaud@unige.ch (University of Geneva).
Assessment Criteria
Young Scholar Grants will be awarded based on the following criteria:
- Scientific quality, feasibility, expected contribution, and fit of the planned research with the LIVES Centre
- Scientific qualifications and track record of the applicant(s), assessed in light of their career stage
Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received a LIVES Young Scholar Grant.
Please note that Young Scholar Grants are competitive, as the number of applications generally exceeds the funding available at the LIVES Centre. Smaller projects (i.e., applications requesting less than the maximum funding amount) may have a higher chance of being funded.
Timeline
Applicants will be notified of the outcome by December 15, 2026. Funds will be disbursed only in 2027, and deliverables must be submitted no later than August 31, 2028.