The special programme for Investigator Initiated Clinical Trials (IICTs) of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supports clinical trials as defined in the Federal Act on Research involving Human Beings (Human Research Act, HRA)* and regulated by the Ordinance on Clinical Trials in Human Research (Clinical Trials Ordinance, ClinO)**. These trials address a documented unmet medical need and are of value to the patients but not in industry focus.