Target group

The target group of the CTC are applicants for SNSF career funding schemes at the postdoctoral level. The study population comprises persons who applied for Early Postdoc.Mobility, Postdoc.Mobility, Ambizione, PRIMA, or Eccellenza between 2018 and 2021. Both grantees (i.e., applicants who received a positive funding decision) and non-grantees (i.e., applicants who did not receive a positive funding decision, including applicants who withdrew their applications before the decision date) are included in the study.

Data protection

Participation in the CTC is unrelated to the evaluation procedure of any proposal submitted to the SNSF. The CTC study remains completely separate from the routine activities of the SNSF. Personal data of participants (e.g., contact information) is being treated with strict confidentiality. Survey data is published as anonymised scientific use files on SWISSUbase. Further information on data management can be found in the Data Management Plan.

Data linkage

On behalf of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), we are currently exploring the possibilities, potential benefits, and limitations of linking data from the CTC Study with administrative data. This evaluation aims to analyze the career trajectories of early-career researchers in Switzerland. To conduct this evaluation, data from the CTC Study will be linked with the following sources:

  • Population and Households Statistics (STATPOP); Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 2018-2023
  • Higher Education Personnel Statistics (SHIS-PERS); Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 2018-2023
  • Individual Accounts; Central Compensation Office (CCO), 2018-2023

All data will be handled in compliance with data protection regulations to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of participants.

Contact the CTC team

If you are a participant of the CTC study and would like to know more about the CTC study and its findings, please contact us on info@careertrackercohorts.ch. Please let us know if your contact data has changed so you do not miss out on invitations to the survey and our biannual newsletter.