Based on a government mandate, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supports scientific research in all academic disciplines, from history to medicine and the engineering sciences. At the end of 2017, the SNSF was funding 5800 projects involving 16,000 researchers, which makes it the leading Swiss institution for promoting scientific research. The Administrative Offices support and coordinate the activities of the Foundation Council, the Research Council and the Research Commissions. ​The key tasks of the Administrative Offices include obtaining and evaluating several thousand external reviews of grant applications in Switzerland and abroad. The Administrative Offices maintain contacts with the bodies responsible for research policy in Switzerland and abroad, represent the SNSF in the relevant committees and ensure that the concerns of the Foundation are effectively communicated to the general public.