Fellowships for prospective researchers offer young scientists, who are at the point of starting their research career, the possibility to stay at a research institution abroad.
These fellowships for a stay oversea are allocated in all disciplines supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Funding includes personal maintenance, a fixed sum for travel expenses and may include a contribution towards research and conference expenses. The amount of the fellowship is based on family status, family obligations and cost of living in the host country. For more information about the duration, please contact the local Research Commission (postdoctoral fellowships: 12 to 36 month; doctoral fellowships: 6 to 24 month).
Application requirements (see fellowship rules)
- doctorate (lic., diploma or master’s degree may be acceptable in some cases at the end of a doctoral thesis)
- Start of the fellowship:
a) for a postdoctoral fellowship, at the latest 3 years after obtaining the doctorate (the date of the thesis defense and the doctoral examination respectively is decisive);
b) for a doctoral fellowship at the end of the thesis, at the earliest 2 years after obtaining the licentiate, diploma or master's degree;
exceptions are possible in justified cases
- Swiss nationality, residence or settlement permit, or cross-border commuter permit
- relation to the Swiss research (at least 2 years of activity at a Swiss university for candidates who are not Swiss nationals)
Post-doctoral fellowships
Applications for post-doctoral fellowships should be addressed to:
a) the local Research Commission of the university where the applicants obtained their doctorate or, for doctors of medicine, their state diploma;
b) the SNSF-Fellowships Commission in all other cases.
Doctoral fellowships
Applications for doctoral fellowships should be addressed to:
a) the Research Commission of the university where the applicants are matriculated as doctoral students;
b) the SNSF-Fellowships Commission in all other cases.
Important:
New proposals and follow-up proposals for fellowships for prospective researchers relevant to all Research Commissions and to the SNSF Fellowships Commission must be submitted electronically via mySNF.
To access mySNF, a user account is necessary.. New user accounts must be requested 2 weeks before the deadline at latest.
Submission deadlines for the local SNSF Research Commissions:
The local SNSF Research Commissions have their own submission deadlines. Applicants are requested to contact the relevant local Research Commission for details and deadline before submitting their application.
Submission deadlines for the SNSF Fellowships Commission:
1 April and 1 September (applies for demands for prolongation as well).
Earliest start 4 months after submission deadline.
Applicants without a Swiss university degree, especially Swiss nationals living abroad or Swiss doctoral students who are studying abroad, are requested to contact the Fellowships Commission. In order to receive detailed information all applicants are invited to contact the Research Commission before submitting their application.