According to SNSF’s annual report, the number of independent research projects submitted in 2007 reached an all-time high of 2,105, up from 2,048 a year earlier. The 50 per cent success rate reached the same level as 1998, following a decline to 40 per cent in 2004. This increase is due to the Swiss Federal Council’s and Parliament’s aim of boosting competitive research funding by increasing SNSF’s budget
In 2007, some 5,500 researchers won grants, with around 1,000 receiving awards directly from personal funding programme, and others supported as team members of individually funded projects.