Five USI projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Project Funding
Institutional Communication Service
Five USI research projects have been awarded funding by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through the 2025 Project Funding call. The total funding amounts to over 3.8 million Swiss francs and involves the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Informatics and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR).
Project Funding is one of the main tools used by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to support scientific research. Researchers with at least four years of post-doctoral experience working at a Swiss academic institution are eligible to apply. Projects vary in duration from one to four years, with an average maximum funding of £250,000 per year per applicant. The 2025 call, which closed on 1 April, also included a separate evaluation for interdisciplinary projects.
The selected USI projects are listed below.
Faculty of Economics
- Prof. Emanuele Bettinazzi – Advancing M&A Research with a Novel Dataset on Post-Acquisition Integration: Performance and Innovation Implications (CHF 820,054).
The project aims to develop a dataset that measures large-scale post-acquisition integration by tracking structural changes in acquiring and acquired companies. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of how integration affects the performance and innovative capacity of companies, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical sector.
Faculty of Informatics
- Vice Dean and Prof. Laura Pozzi – Ax4DNNs: Integrating Approximate Computing with Deep Neural Networks (CHF 901,852).
The project explores approximate computing strategies applied to deep neural networks to significantly reduce energy costs without compromising predictive accuracy. The expected results will promote efficient applications even in resource-constrained contexts and help reduce environmental impact. - Dean and Prof. Ernst-Jan Camiel Wit – Statistical Frontiers in Dynamic Network Modelling (CHF 700,016).
The research proposes statistical advances in Relational Event Modelling (REM) to analyse dynamic networks in continuous time, from social interactions to financial transactions. The project will address challenges related to scalability, interpretability and causal inference, enhancing tools for the study of complex event-based systems.
Institute of Oncology Research (IOR)
- Head of Bioinformatics Core Unit Luciano Cascione – Molecular and Cellular Characterisation of MALT Lymphoma Across Anatomical Sites: Integrative Transcriptomic and Epigenetic Approaches (CHF 989,900).
The research aims to integrate transcriptomic and proteomic data to outline a comprehensive molecular profile of MALT lymphoma, a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The multidimensional approach may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, contributing to precision medicine.
Dr Kevin Perez also obtained funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). Subsequently, this grant was transferred to the IOR through the Swiss National Science Foundation. Below is a description of the project.
- Dr Kevin Perez – Repurposing drugs for healthy ageing from human biobanks and validation in animal models (CHF 419,650).
The project aims to identify drugs that promote healthy ageing by analysing data from human biobanks and conducting validation studies using C. elegans and mouse models. The goal is to discover new drug therapies that enhance both the duration and quality of life for the elderly population.
These findings strengthen USI's position as an international research hub, capable of making significant contributions to scientific advancement and societal and economic well-being.
