Science and Technology for Humanitarian Action Challenges

The challenges faced by the humanitarian sector are immense. Raising tensions between global powers and vanishing respect for International Humanitarian Law result in levels of humanitarian needs never reached since WWI (more than 123 million people forcibly displaced in 2024 according to UNHCR). Extreme climate events, such as floods, storms and droughts, are on the rise, thereby increasing the vulnerability of people already suffering from conflict. Built on geostrategic equilibriums that are profoundly shifting, the whole humanitarian system struggles to maintain its funding, as well as its legitimacy, resulting in shrinking operational capacities.

EPFL and ETH Zurich are joining forces with the ICRC and other humanitarian organizations to explore innovative solutions to such crises through the EHA initiative.

The goal of the Science and Technology for Humanitarian Action Challenges is to support project-based research between EPFL researchers, ETH Zurich researchers, and humanitarian organizations to develop effective solutions for a greater impact of humanitarian action.

Eligibility and scope:

A Humanitarian Action Challenge must be a clearly defined research question designed to increase the impact of humanitarian action or to enable humanitarian actors to address new and emerging challenges, in line with the current or future work of the ICRC or other eligible humanitarian organizations. The projects must be intended to develop, test, evaluate, or implement an innovative product, service, or policy, which involves a technology (as part of the research or the solution).

The main eligibility criteria are:

• The team must consist of at least one main applicant from EPFL, who holds a PhD or is a professor, and at least one partner from a humanitarian organization.
• In addition, the team is encouraged to have one partner from ETH Zurich and at least one partner from a low- or lower-middle-income country. Institutions from the rest of the ETH Domain (PSI, WSL, Empa, and Eawag) are welcome to join as co-applicants, and other institutions as partners.
• If the main applicant is not a professor or a financially independent senior scientist (MER) or financially independent adjunct professor (professeur titulaire), the application must include a letter of commitment from the host professor or the head of unit.

Budget:

• Funding is available for 6-month to 24-month projects. The amount granted will be between CHF 50’000 and CHF 300’000.
• Funding covers the project costs of the EPFL main applicant and of potential co-applicants from the ETH domain (excluding ETH Zurich, for which funding must be requested through the ETH Zurich call for proposals). It also covers project costs of partners up to CHF 80’000.
• Applicants (including potential co-applicants and partners) must provide 25% of the requested amount as matching funds.

Further information

• HAC Programme webpage here
• Applicants must submit their application via the online submission platform
• For questions, please contact the Research Office: [email protected]

Information session on 20 January at 11 am: registration link