Swiss AI Initiative Launches Third Funding Call for Open Science AI Research

In December 2023, the Swiss AI Initiative was established with a grant of 20 million CHF from the ETH Domain, along with access to over 10 million GPU hours on the Alps supercomputer. This initiative, recognized as the largest global open science endeavor for AI foundation models, is now inviting applications for its third major project call. It represents the inaugural project of the Swiss National AI Institute, a collaboration between the ETH AI Center and the EPFL AI Center, drawing on the expertise of over 800 researchers, including 70 professors specializing in AI, from more than 10 Swiss universities. The Alps supercomputer, managed by the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) and featuring over 10,000 GH200 GPUs, supports advanced AI research. The initiative aims to produce transparent software, models, and data for reliable use by Swiss stakeholders, such as SMEs and start-ups. Key deadlines are March 16, 2026, for intent declarations and March 31, 2026, for complete proposals, with project decisions and launches planned for July 2026. Regular compute calls encourage collaboration among researchers from different institutions.