Funding
12.12.2024
Young Talents in Clinical Research: 15 grants awarded
Read more CloseWith the Young Talents in Clinical Research program, the Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS encourage young medical doctors to start out in clinical research. At the end of the 2024 call for applications, 15 talented clinicians are supported with a total amount of CHF 959’702.
The YTCR program comprises two instruments: «beginner grants» provide protected time for research, while «project grants» finance a consecutive research project to broaden and consolidate the expertise acquired during the «beginner grant». This year, 14 «beginner grants» and one «project grant» were awarded. The next call for applications will be launched in spring 2025, with a submission deadline on 30 June 2025. For more information about the program and the list of grantees, please visit our website.
Flyer «Young Talents in Clinical Research» (PDF)
Publications
26.11.2024
Not giving up on federalism, but rethinking it
Read more CloseShould health be anchored in the Swiss Constitution? Luca Crivelli, Full Professor of Health Economics and Policy at SUPSI, explores this topic in the lead article of our latest Bulletin. He shows how federalism shapes the current healthcare system and discusses the possibility of redistributing responsibilities between the Confederation and the cantons.
In addition, interviews reveal how Prof. Henri Bounameaux has perceived his time as SAMS President and what hurdles this year's laureate of the Stern-Gattiker Prize has overcome. The expansion of the Swiss Personalised Health Network (SPHN), the President of the Central Ethics Committee’s impressions of the Symposium on medical-ethical guidelines, the presentation of the new Senate’s members and the Seed Grants from the KZS Fund complete Bulletin 4/2024.
SAMS Bulletin 4/2024, French version (PDF)
SPHN
21.11.2024
A new president for the Swiss Personalized Health Network from 2025
Read more CloseProf. Urs Frey, Basel, has chaired the Swiss Personalized Network (SPHN) since 2019. At its meeting in November, the SAMS Senate elected Prof. Matthias Baumgartner, Zurich, as his successor. From 2025, he will accompany SPHN with the Data Coordination Center (DCC) into the maintenance phase.
Matthias Baumgartner is Full Professor of Metabolic Diseases at the University of Zurich, Director of Research and Teaching at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, and head of the Department of Metabolic Diseases. After Urs Frey, we are delighted to once again have an experienced physician and clinical researcher with a Swiss-wide network at the helm of SPHN. More information on the current and future SPHN President can be found in the newsletter published today.
Further information
Agenda
20.11.2024
CitSciHelvetia'25: Call for participation
Read more CloseCitizen Science Helvetia 2025 (CitSciHelvetia'25), the Swiss conference for citizen and participatory research will take place on June 5 and 6 2025 in Lausanne. The event is initiated by the Science et Cité Foundation and supported by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and the University of Lausanne (UNIL). CitSciHelvetia’25 will focus on «Citizen science in action. Collaborations between civil society and academia».
The partnership between civil society and academia has never been more relevant. The challenges facing our contemporary societies are multiple and complex: biodiversity loss, climate disruption, damaged social ties, health challenges, and more. They call for collective responses drawing on the wealth of scientific, professional and experiential knowledge. Contributions in the form of presentations, workshops or posters can be submitted until December 15, 2024. The call for participation including the six thematic areas can be found on the website.
Visit the website
Ethics
19.11.2024
Interview on Advance Care Planning: «What are the most important tools?»
Read more CloseEveryone wants their needs to be respected right up to their final hours. This means thinking about emergencies at an early stage, in other words, advance care planning (ACP). Prof. Miodrag Filipovic is a member of the SAMS board and president of the national working group on ACP. In an interview, he describes the objectives of the group and explains the value of ACP using concrete examples from his daily work as an intensive care physician.
A well-known instrument of ACP is the advance care directive. In an interview with the members' magazine of the association Exit, Miodrag Filipovic says: «Advance care directives provide answers and considerable help when decisions have to be made: Who is the proxy decision-maker? What made life worth living for the person who is now lacking capacity? What therapeutic goals can be derived from this? Which medical measures would be in their interest and which would not?» You can download the interview in German below. More information on advance care planning and the activities of the working group can be found on our website.
Download interview (PDF)
Ethics
11.11.2024
No to the popular initiative for a future without animal testing
Read more Closeswissuniversities, the umbrella organisation of the Swiss universities, warns of the consequences of accepting the popular initiative for a future without animal testing. The SAMS supports swissuniversities' clear arguments and shares its position and concerns.
The initiative, submitted on 11 November 2024, proposes a comprehensive ban on animal testing in Switzerland, which would have serious consequences for numerous areas of research and would significantly hamper progress, innovation and education in human and veterinary medicine, as well as other scientific disciplines. Switzerland has one of the strictest animal protection laws in the world, which ensures that animal experiments are carried out under responsible and ethical conditions. Not long ago, in February 2022, the Swiss people clearly said No to a similar initiative. Like swissuniversities, the SAMS considers the new initiative to be the wrong approach and rejects it.
Further information
Projects
05.11.2024
PPIE: four letters for a major participation in healthcare
Read more CloseThe four letters of the acronym PPIE stand for Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in Healthcare. For the past three years, the SAMS has been supporting a course at the University of Basel’s Department of Clinical Research (DKF) for patients, in order for them to be able to actively participate in the planning and design of research projects.
The full value of the knowledge acquired through research is realized when it meets the specific needs of patients. This is best achieved if those affected are involved in the planning and design of research projects. The course prepares interested individuals for such involvement. The DKF offers online modules in three national languages. More information and contact details can be found on the DKF website.
Visit the website
Funding
31.10.2024
Neuroscience: Robert Bing Prize for three outstanding researchers
Read more CloseThe Robert Bing Prize 2024 is awarded to three outstanding neuroscientists: Alexander and Mackenzie W. Mathis, EPFL, are being distinguished together for their pioneering work bridging machine learning and behavioral neurobiological research. Susanne Wegener, USZ/UZH, is honored for her translational research on the pathophysiology and treatment of stroke. Both prizes are worth CHF 30’000.
The Prize, bestowed every two years by the SAMS, originates from a generous bequest of Basel neurologist Robert Bing (1878–1956). In accordance with the donor’s will, the Prize is awarded to researchers who have done outstanding work to improve the recognition, treatment or cure of neurological diseases. Read the impressive short biographies of the three laureates in our media release published today. More information about the Bing Prize can be found on our website.
Media release (PDF)