© ICRC/Benjamin Mast, 09.04.2020, Caption: Roraima, Boa Vista. In an effort to fight COVID-19, ICRC distributed hydrated ethyl alcohol and more than 18,000 pairs of gloves for medical procedures aimed at ensuring the proper hygiene of the Field Hospital and the safety of the health professionals., Reference: V-P-BR-E-00410

Apply for a Humanitarian Action Challenges (HAC) research grant

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

If you want to learn more about past and current HAC projects, click here.

Eligibility Criteria

The team must consist of at least one main applicant from ETH who holds a PhD and/or who is a professor, and at least one partner from a humanitarian organization (eligible organisations are listed here). Complementary partners from ETH domain (ETH Zurich, EPFL, EAWAG, EMPA, WSL, PSI), other humanitarian organizations or partners from low- and middle-income-countries are encouraged to join.

Funding and Duration

Projects of 6 to 24 months can secure CHF 50,000 to CHF 300,000. Applicants contribute at least 25% of the requested funding as matching funds.

Apply Now

The next call for applications will open in autumn 2025.

If you are an EPFL researcher, please follow this link to apply, if you are an ETH Zurich researcher, please follow this link.

FAQs

How do we, as EPFL researchers, get in contact with ETH researchers and/or humanitarian practitioners to work on a proposal?

How do we, as ETH researchers, get in contact with EPFL researchers and/or humanitarian practitioners to work on a proposal?

How can I initiate the process/conversation if I am working at ICRC or another humanitarian organisation?

  • You can directly contact the EHA coordination team at ICRC- Fabrice Lauper and Elodie Schindler to discuss your idea and they will put you in contact with the relevant lab.

Our project is quite similar to another (past/current) HAC project. Can we still apply?

  • Yes, there no limitation in terms of number of research project on specific topics. A new research project should ideally build on the outcomes of previous research (HAC or not). A limitation might however be the availability of ICRC subject matter experts to get involved on several projects. This needs to be discussed with the ICRC.

How involved are the humanitarian partners? Does a letter of support suffice or do they actively participate in the research project?

  • Formally research projects need a letter of support from the ICRC to be eligible. It is however highly recommended to involve them both in the project design and in the research implementation. This will increase the likelihood of the projet to have a good buy in by humanitarians and to have humanitarian impact. In order to increase the active involvement of ICRC staff, an amount of max CHF 30’000 can be be integrated in the project to support ICRC.

Could we apply with a research project based in/targeted at Switzerland?

  • As the mandate of the ICRC is related with the protection and assistance of victims of armed conflicts, it is not very likely that the ICRC would be willing to get involved in a project in Switzerland.

Can a project partner also act as a consultant?

  • No, if you are a partner in the project, you cannot act as a consultant at the same time.

Who can handle subcontracting within the project?

  • Subcontracting can be done by the main applicant, co-applicants, or partners, up to a total of 30k CHF. However, if a partner handles subcontracting, it must be included within their maximum 30k CHF budget.

Is the 30k CHF for subcontracting the same as the 30k CHF allocated to the humanitarian partner?

  • No, the 30k CHF for subcontracting is separate from the 30k CHF allocated to the humanitarian partner and cannot be attributed to them.

Who should handle subcontracting in this case?

  • The subcontracting should be carried out by the ETH/EPFL lab rather than the humanitarian partner.