National Research Programme NRP 86 on Digital Resilience of Critical Infrastructures (Switzerland)

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is launching a call for the National Research Programme (NRP) 86, titled “Digital Resilience of Critical Infrastructures.” The programme supports interdisciplinary research to strengthen Switzerland’s critical infrastructures against cyberattacks and other digital disruptions. The expression of interest deadline is 24 November 2026, 5:00 p.m. Swiss local time (CET). Opportunity at a Glance

- Funding organisation: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

- Opportunity name: National Research Programme NRP 86 “Digital Resilience of Critical Infrastructures”

- Opportunity type: Call for proposals for interdisciplinary (with transdisciplinary elements) research projects

- Principal purpose: Strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructures against cyberattacks and digital disruptions

- Total programme funding: CHF 5 million (expected to fund approximately five to ten projects)

- Project budget range: CHF 300,000 to CHF 800,000

- Project duration: 18 to 36 months

- Expression of interest deadline: 24 November 2026, 5:00 p.m. Swiss local time

- Full proposal deadline: 19 January 2027, 5:00 p.m. Swiss local time

- Co-financing: Strongly welcomed (with other funding sources)

About the Opportunity

NRP 86 aims to strengthen the resilience of Switzerland’s critical infrastructures towards cyberattacks and other digital disruptions. It will fund research that: - improves the knowledge base on vulnerabilities and risks - develops technically viable and socially acceptable solutions - proposes governance and coordination mechanisms for an agile collective cyber defence The programme is structured into four research areas, each addressing different aspects of digital resilience. Funding and Benefits NRP 86 operates with overall funding of CHF 5 million, expected to support approximately five to ten projects across the four research areas. Key funding parameters stated in the call:

- Eligible project budgets: CHF 300,000 to CHF 800,000

- Project duration: 18 to 36 months

- Co-financing: Strongly welcomed with other funding sources

The programme also expects projects to produce outputs that can be taken up in areas such as policy, governance, organisational practice, technical implementation, training, and public decision-making. Who Is Eligible? The call supports interdisciplinary research projects with elements of transdisciplinary research. Projects are expected to be practically relevant for stakeholders including: - owners and operators of critical infrastructures - security practitioners - public authorities and regulators - insurers - researchers and users of critical services The source also specifies the following participation expectations: - Non-academic partners are expected to be involved in projects. - Projects should contribute to programme-level knowledge exchange. - Projects should produce outputs usable by policy, governance, and practice stakeholders. Note: The supplied source does not specify applicant legal form requirements, institutional eligibility, or country restrictions beyond the programme’s focus on Switzerland’s critical infrastructures. Not specified in the source. Applicants should consult the call document for detailed participation requirements. Eligible Activities or Priority Areas NRP 86 consists of four research areas: - Data: Examine what qualifies as relevant cybersecurity data and how access to, curation of, protection of, and sharing of such data can be improved between academia, public authorities, and critical infrastructure operators. - Best practices: Assess which organisational, technical, and operational practices are state of the art and how they can be adopted, tested, adapted, and transferred across Swiss critical infrastructure sectors. - Incentives: Investigate economic, regulatory, behavioural, and institutional conditions shaping cybersecurity investment, and identify ways to align organisational decisions with system-level resilience. - Collective defence: Explore how operators, suppliers, authorities, regulators, researchers, and users can coordinate responsibilities, information exchange, risk assessment, and joint responses before, during, and after cyber incidents. Why This Opportunity Matters NRP 86 is designed for research teams that can connect cybersecurity resilience to real-world infrastructure operations and decision-making. By requiring practical relevance and non-academic participation, the programme targets outcomes that can inform governance, coordination, and implementation across Switzerland’s critical sectors. How to Apply Applicants must submit an expression of interest first, and then submit a full proposal by the later deadline. - Submit an expression of interest via the SNSF Portal by 24 November 2026, 5:00 p.m. Swiss local time. - The source states there will be no evaluation or preselection at this stage. - Submit a full proposal via the SNSF Portal by 19 January 2027, 5:00 p.m. Swiss local time. - The source states it will not be possible to submit a full proposal if the expression of interest is not submitted by the appropriate deadline. - Review the call document for detailed participation requirements and submission/evaluation procedures. - Not specified in the source which documents are required beyond the call document reference.

Official links (from the source):

- NRP 86 “Digital Resilience of Critical Infrastructure” website: Not specified in the source (link not provided)

- Call document: Not specified in the source (link not provided)

- Project plan: Not specified in the source (link not provided)

Contact: [contact details removed]

Application Tips or Common Mistakes - Do not miss the expression of interest deadline. The source explicitly states that a full proposal cannot be submitted if the expression of interest is not submitted by 24 November 2026. - Align your project with one (or more) of the four research areas (Data, Best practices, Incentives, Colle