Author: Barbara Zimmermann

Adaption of the questionnaire to assess the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic

In 2020 and 2021 a special module on the impact of the pandemic on the activities and careers of early-career researchers was added to the survey. As we want to continue to monitor that impact, we have recently incorporated a few additional questions in the standard survey. These questions concern networks, mobility, and support, for example. We are excited to introduce the updated questionnaire with the next survey wave.

Upcoming event: Swiss Science Briefing on: ‘Research careers in the light of COVID-19 – How can science funders provide support?’

On July 7, the CTC Study will be presented in the Swiss Science Briefing of SwissCore. The presentation is followed by a panel discussion, including Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, ERC President ad interim, Prof. Matthias Egger, President of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation, as well as Prof. Stéphanie Gauttier, Chair of the Policy Group of the Marie Curie Alumni Association.
The event is open to the public. For more information and for registration click here!
You can find the programme of the event here.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young researchers

The CTC project is currently investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young researchers. You can get first insights in our recent newsletter and in the current “nccr on the move” blogpost.

Check also the contributions by DeFacto.
Auswirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie auf die Karriere von Nachwuchsforschenden.
Effets de la pandémie de Covid-19 sur la carrière des jeunes chercheur·euse·s.

Second cohort now running

In spring 2019 the second cohort of the Career Tracker Cohort study was launched. For the first time applicants for Ambizione, Eccellenza and PRIMA received the base questionnaire. Again, the survey achieved an excellent response rate. The first wave of this cohort will be completed with the autumn surveys running in September.
At the same time the participants of the first cohort who applied in autumn 2018 to either Early Postdoc.Mobility or Postdoc.Mobility will receive their first follow-up survey in October 2019.

Updates and results will be published regularly in our newsletters.

Successful start of the Career Tracker Cohorts study!

The first wave of the survey among the applicants for Early Postdoc.Mobility and Postdoc.Mobility has successfully been completed in October 2018. It reached an outstanding response rate of 91%. Many thanks to all participants!

In March and April 2019, all applicants for Amibizione, PRIMA, Eccellenza as well as Early Postdoc.Mobility and Postdoc.Mobility (spring deadline) will be interviewed.

We are continuously processing the collected data and will publish findings on this site on a regular basis. We expect the first results of the 2018 cohort to be available in the beginning of 2020.

Welcome to the SNSF Career Tracker Cohorts

The SNSF Career Tracker Cohorts (SNSF-CTC) project is a longitudinal panel study with yearly cohorts. It aims at tracking the career paths of young researchers applying to the SNSF career funding schemes at the postdoctoral level. The main goals of the SNSF-CTC are to monitor the careers of the researchers and to evaluate the impact of the different career funding schemes of the SNSF.

The first cohort starts in October 2018 with Postdoc.Mobility and Early Postdoc.Mobility. Included in the sample are all researchers who applied to one of the two schemes in autumn 2018. Applicants to Ambizione, PRIMA and Eccellenza will be interviewed for the first time in spring 2019.