Ten USI-related projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation under Project Funding

Ten research projects from USI and from affiliated and joint institutes secured funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) under the April 2026 Project Funding call, totalling CHF 7,114,918. Four projects are led by the Faculty of Economics, two by the Faculty of Informatics, two by Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò(IRSOL, affiliated with USI and belonging to the Faculty of Informatics), and two by the USI-EOC Joint Translational Research Institute (IRT), belonging to the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

Project Funding is one of the Swiss National Science Foundation's (SNSF) principal instruments for supporting scientific research. Applications are open to researchers with at least four years of postdoctoral experience or who have attained an independent position at a Swiss academic institution. Projects can run for up to four years, with a maximum funding of CHF 250,000 per year per applicant.

Below is the list of selected projects.

Faculty of Economics

• Prof. Elena Dalpiaz – The power of the past: Using the rhetorical history of a territory as a resource for entrepreneurship (CHF 517,442)
  This project investigates how organisations—particularly start-ups—can strategically use the history of the territory in which they operate to innovate, build their identity, and grow. Through three sub-projects and case studies in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland, the research will analyse how traditions, cultural heritage, and collective identities can become entrepreneurial resources, even in the face of technological transformations. The findings will offer guidance both to entrepreneurs tied to established local traditions and to public decision-makers involved in safeguarding cultural heritage and craftsmanship.
   
• Prof. Laurent Frésard – Data technologies and the interactions between firms and financial markets (CHF 593,993)
  This project studies how the adoption of data-driven technologies is transforming the relationship between firms and financial markets. Specifically, it will analyse whether companies' access to growing quantities of data alters their reliance on information produced by markets and, conversely, how corporate decisions provide information to investors. By combining theoretical modelling with empirical analysis of US firms over the period 2000–2025, the research aims to explore the consequences of digitalisation for market efficiency, firm valuation, and capital allocation.
   
• Prof. Paulo Gonçalves – Preparedness and Response to Complex Public Health Emergencies: A Systems Approach to Effective Governance in Switzerland (CHF 906,088)
  This project examines the role of governance in preparedness for and response to pandemics and other complex public health emergencies, with a particular focus on the Swiss federal system. The research will develop an epidemiological model that directly integrates aspects such as decision-making processes, coordination between the Confederation and Cantons, information flows, delays in measure implementation, and population behaviour. The objective is to evaluate different governance configurations and provide useful tools for future health crisis preparedness, including in the context of the planned 2028 revision of the Epidemics Act.
   
• Prof. Fabrizio Mazzonna – The Health and Economic Consequences of Expanding Mental Health Treatment (CHF 457,960)
  This project analyses the health and economic consequences of expanding the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders, focusing in particular on who accesses care and what the effects are for patients and their families. Using data from the Netherlands and Denmark, the research will study different therapeutic pathways and their long-term effects, with special attention to childhood mental health. The aim is to understand when increased access to care yields benefits and when it may instead result in limited utility or over-medicalisation.

Faculty of Informatics

• Prof. Matilda Backendal – Cloud Key Management: Foundations of End-to-End Encrypted Cloud Storage (CHF 889,497)
  This project addresses security challenges associated with the growing volume of sensitive data stored in cloud services. Specifically, it will study novel cryptographic methods for key management in end-to-end encrypted storage systems, ensuring that only legitimate owners can access their data. The aim is to develop theoretical foundations and formally verified solutions that can be integrated into cloud storage services, overcoming some of the vulnerabilities found in currently available solutions.
   
• Prof. Paolo Tonella – DEMITH: Detection and Mitigation of Hallucinations in LLM-Code Generators (CHF 874,256)
  DEMITH studies "hallucinations" generated by Large Language Models specialised in producing computer code, which can lead to the creation of code that is inconsistent with requirements, contains errors, or is based on non-existent interfaces and tools. The project will develop an integrated approach to prevent, detect, and mitigate these anomalies by intervening in prompts, the context provided to models, and the verification of generated code. The project will make the developed tools available as open-source resources.

Aldo and Cele Daccò Institute for Solar Research (IRSOL), affiliated with USI and belonging to the Faculty of Informatics

• Prof. Svetlana Berdyugina – Spatio-Temporal Magneto-Thermodynamic Properties and Evolution of Solar Super-Active Regions (SuperSun) (CHF 970,606)
  The SuperSun project investigates the Sun's super-active regions—areas characterised by particularly complex magnetic fields where some of the most intense solar eruptions originate. The research aims to identify observable signals that make it possible to predict when and where these extreme events might occur. By combining spectropolarimetric observations, physical models, simulations, and artificial intelligence techniques, the team will develop new tools to understand the evolution of the most active solar regions. The results could help improve space weather forecasts, which are crucial for protecting satellites, astronauts, and ground-based technological infrastructure from the effects of solar activity.
   
• Dr Julien Carron – Pushing the CMB B-mode frontier: Primordial Gravitational Waves and Cosmic Lensing (CHF 868,814)
  This project focuses on the search for primordial gravitational waves, which could provide important confirmation of the theory of cosmic inflation—according to which the universe underwent an extremely rapid phase of expansion immediately following the Big Bang. The research aims to detect the traces of these waves in the polarisation of the cosmic microwave background, overcoming the distortions produced by the gravitational lensing effect of the universe's large-scale structures. Through new analysis methods and data collected by South Pole telescopes, the team will develop more precise techniques to eliminate these interferences and significantly improve measurement accuracy, contributing to the study of the universe's origins.

USI-EOC Joint Translational Research Institute (IRT), belonging to the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences

• Dr Claudia Altomare – Macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles as mediators of inflammatory electrical remodeling in atrial fibrillation (CHF 346,600)
  This project investigates a potential new mechanism of communication between the immune system and the heart in the context of atrial fibrillation, the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia. Specifically, it will analyse the role of extracellular vesicles released by inflammatory macrophages to understand whether these particles can alter the electrical activity of heart cells and contribute to the development of arrhythmias. The findings could help identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for more targeted management of atrial fibrillation.
   
• Prof. Giorgia Melli – A Multimodal Platform for Peripheral α-Synuclein and Tau Fibril Profiling for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CHF 689,662)
  This project aims to study, through a simple non-invasive skin sample, the molecular characteristics of abnormal proteins involved in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The goal is to develop tools that can help improve disease diagnosis and monitoring, while deepening the understanding of the biological mechanisms involved and identifying potential targets for future, more targeted and personalised therapies.

These results confirm the ability of researchers at USI and at affiliated and shared institutes to secure competitive funding for projects spanning economics and management, informatics, solar research, and biomedical and clinical research.