Host Country: Switzerland
Programme Name: ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships
Institution: ETH Zurich
Fellowship Length: 2 years
Support: Salary and CHF 12,000 yearly for research expenses
Submission Deadlines: 1 March and 1 September each year at 17:00 Swiss local time
The ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed for incoming postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich. According to the source, the programme supports young academics who have already demonstrated scientific excellence and who show strong potential at an early stage of their careers. The page also notes that 40–50% of fellows obtain a professorship within a few years after the fellowship.
About the ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships
This programme is described as a prestigious early-career opportunity. Every application must be backed by an ETH Zurich professor acting as mentor, and each professor may support only one candidate per evaluation round. The page also emphasizes that there must be convincing synergies between the host group and the proposed fellow.
The fellowship is intended to encourage academic independence. Therefore, applicants who submit their own project ideas receive priority. The source also notes that the applicant and the mentor should not have closely collaborated before the fellowship.
Funding and Duration
✓ Salary at 100%, based on ETH standards
✓ CHF 12,000 per year for research expenses
✓ Travel and mobility allowances
✓ Research cost contributions
The programme lasts for two years and cannot be extended. The source also specifies that research and travel funds cannot be shifted to cover salary costs, and salary funds cannot be shifted to cover research costs.
Who Can Apply
• Applicants must already hold a doctorate by the submission deadline or complete it within the following six months
• Applicants who already hold a PhD must have obtained it no more than two years before the submission deadline
• The decisive date is the examination or defense date
• Applicants who have not yet completed their doctorate must submit signed confirmation of the planned defense date from the advisor or department chair
• The defense must be completed by the time the fellowship begins and not later than six months after the deadline
• Applicants with a PhD from ETH Zurich or the University of Zurich are not eligible
• Applicants must not have lived or carried out their main activity in Switzerland for more than twelve months in the three years before the submission deadline
• Applicants must not have carried out their main activity at ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, ETH domain research institutes, or the University of Zurich for more than six months in the three years before the submission deadline
• Applicants must have at least one publication in a peer-reviewed journal or a prize for their doctoral thesis
The page further states that applications failing to meet the eligibility criteria will be rejected on formal grounds.
Documents and Institutional Support
The application must be supported by an ETH Zurich professor who agrees to act as the fellow’s mentor. The host professor must provide an invitation letter, and that letter must be uploaded with the application. Assistant professors are required to contact the Grants Office before submission to confirm their eligibility as hosts.
In addition, each applicant must arrange two external reference letters. These letters must be sent directly by the referees to the Grants Office at least 10 days before the submission deadline. The letters must include official letterhead and the referee’s signature.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically in PDF format through the ETH Zurich eResearch system. The page notes that the call is usually open in the system about one month before the deadline.
Applicants must use the official templates for the project description and accompanying information. The source outlines the process as downloading the templates, preparing all documents in PDF format, registering on eResearch, starting a new application, adding the host professor and reference providers, validating the application, and submitting it electronically.
Key Dates and Start Rules
The submission deadlines are 1 March and 1 September each year at 17:00 Swiss local time. If one of these dates falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the following Monday at 17:00 Swiss local time.
The source also states that fellows are expected to begin their fellowship no later than eight months after the submission deadline. A later start is allowed only in exceptional cases with approval from the Grants Office. The fellowship always begins on the first day of a month.
