The Small Projects allocation at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) is a way for researchers to get access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources, specifically compute time on the ‘Alps’ supercomputer, for smaller-scale scientific or technical work.
These projects are intended as entry-level allocations:
- They provide up to 8 000 node-hours of compute time on the ‘Alps’ system.
- Allocations last up to one year and are intended to be a stepping stone toward larger proposals later (e.g., full Production or Tier-0 projects).
- There’s no fixed deadline. Proposals can be submitted any time the call is open.
Small Projects include:
- Small production projects focused on doing actual scientific or engineering computation.
- Small development projects focused on code or algorithm development. This type of project is technically assessed (not full peer review) and, if accepted, is granted based on feasibility rather than scientific ranking.
Who Can Apply?
Small Projects are meant for researchers who don’t yet have access to CSCS compute resources and want to start using them.
- Principal Investigators (PIs) affiliated with a Swiss academic institution, including postdocs and faculty, can apply.
- PhD students cannot apply independently, they must apply with their supervisor listed as the PI.
- Researchers already holding significant CSCS allocations (e.g., with large Production projects or Tier-0 projects) cannot apply.
Note: Each PI or research group can submit only one Small Project proposal per year.