Within the Framework credit on migration, amounting to 190 million Swiss Francs, 25 million Swiss Francs are reserved for projects responding to particularly urgent needs in the area of migration. This Rapid Response Fund (RRF), which runs until 2029, is separate from the bilateral cooperation programmes and can be used in one or more EU Member States in the event of a crisis due in particular to unexpected pressure in the area of migration.
The general objective of the RRF is to strengthen migration management structures in the EU member states and is to be seen as a complement to the bilateral cooperation programmes to meet immediate needs in the area of migration. The fund aims at strengthening the capacity of non-state actors to intervene rapidly with focussed actions.
The RRF is a specific instrument managed directly by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The SEM is hence, in close coordination with other Swiss state actors, in charge of the selection of projects, which can be submitted by different stakeholders with relevant experience in the field of migration, such as international organisations and NGO’s in the EU member states. The Fund will support projects dealing with migration issues and challenges linked to international migration movements in the areas of asylum, infrastructure, voluntary return and reintegration and prevention of secondary migration.
Two types of projects will be supported, namely Targeted projects and Emergency projects.
The first type are projects that meet short-term objectives, while the second are projects, which meet urgent needs in the area of migration.
In the case of Targeted projects, the implementation is planned for a short to medium term. The project duration for Targeted Projects can last up to two years, and the funding of the project partners is at least 15% (duly justified exceptions are possible). For Targeted projects, priority is given to countries in pre-defined geographical locations. For the years 2022-2023, priority will be given to projects carried out in EU-countries neighbouring or in proximity to Ukraine. The project budget should amount to at least CHF 500’000.
Emergency projects, which are eligible in any of the EU Member States, are foreseen to meet urgent needs and can be implemented almost immediately. The project duration is a maximum of one year, and no co-funding is required.
Submitting a concept note
With the aid of the Guidelines, the project applicant is welcome to submit a concept note to the Section Funds and Funding Programmes of the SEM (swiss-contribution@sem.admin.ch) until the 15th of May 2023 using the following template:
Template: Project application form (DOCX, 91 kB, 12.01.2023)
Guidelines (PDF, 43 kB, 12.01.2023)
Last modification 01.03.2023
