Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to promote international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS).

This scholarship runs under the Fulbright Scholarship Program.

Eligibility: Masters and beyond
Duration: Up to 12 months
Deadline: September – December

For more information, click here.

ThinkSwiss is a scholarship program funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The aim of the program is to promote research opportunities in Switzerland for American and Canadian students and to foster exchange between Swiss, U.S., and Canadian universities and research institutions.

Eligibility: Enrolled at U.S. or Canadian University, Undergraduate student (completed sophomore year)
Duration: 2-3 months
Deadline: January 31

For more information, click here.

Ambizione is aimed at early-career researchers (from Switzerland or abroad) who wish to conduct, manage and lead an independent project in Switzerland. Applications may be submitted no later than 4 years after the PhD.

Eligibility: Must hold a PhD or have completed medical studies
Duration: Up to 4 years
Deadline: 1 November

For more information, click here.

Lead Agency are part of the SNSF’s project funding schemes. A single funder is the Lead Agency for the evaluation of projects with international partners, either the SNSF or its partner agency abroad. The researchers need to make only a single submission to the Lead Agency, instead of several proposals to different national agencies. In the case of bilateral Lead Agency agreements, the lead is usually on an annual rotation basis and only bilateral projects are possible.

Deadline: According to the SNSF or NSF deadlines

For more information, click here.

Project grants may be requested or used to cover the costs of PhD students, postdocs or other personnel. They can be hired from Switzerland or abroad to work on a project in Switzerland.

Eligibility: Must hold at least a PhD
Deadline: see webpage

For more information, click here.

Spark funds the rapid testing or development of new scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards, ideas for application, etc. It is designed for projects that show unconventional thinking and introduce a unique approach. It is open to all disciplines and must be conducted at a Swiss research institution. A confirmation from a host institution in Switzerland is required with the application.

Eligibility: Must have a doctorate or equivalent qualification
Duration: 6 – 12 months
Deadline: March

For more information, click here.

The Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation’s purpose is the encouragement, development and support of cutting-edge research in the fields of engineering, environmental sciences as well as in the field of all medieval disciplines and the “Digital Humanities” as a result of the intersection of medieval disciplines and computer data. The Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation offers multiple grants. Check the website for more information.

Eligibility: Undergraduate, Graduate and Doctoral level
Duration: Up to 12 months depending on the grant
Deadline: Varies by grant

For more information, click here.

The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science is a community of exceptional young scientists who share a passion for taking research beyond the mainstream. Fellows are given the means to pursue their personal vision of a particular scientific project independently – in the best possible locations, anywhere in the world. The fellowship is awarded to postdocs for up to five years. Since it continues after a promotion, some fellows even become faculty members during the course of their fellowship.

Eligibility: Must hold a PhD
Deadline: January
Duration: Up to 5 years

For more information, click here.

Robotics has become one of the biggest fields of education and research worldwide with strong societal and economic impact. The ETH Robotics Student Fellowship (ETH RSF) program offers graduate students the opportunity to research alongside experts on the specific topic of robotics of their choice. This fellowship takes place mainly during summer (July – August) and is open to all students worldwide. The RobotX initiative at ETH Zurich is committed to fostering and cultivating a culture of diversity and equality.

Eligibility: Be enrolled in master program
Duration: 2 months (June 30 – August 29 approx.)
Deadline: February

For more information, click here.

The Student Summer Research Fellowship (ETH SSRF) programme offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to gain their first research experience in an area of their choice. The fellowship provided by the Computer Science Department of ETH takes place during two summer months and is open to all students worldwide. The department is committed to increasing diversity in the computer science area.

Eligibility: Undergraduate and Graduate in computer science or closely related field
Duration: 2 months (July 1 – Augst 31 approx.)
Deadline: December

For more information, click here.

The School of Computer and Communication Sciences of EPFL offers summer fellowships to international students. Participants get the chance to learn new skills and to gain hands-on experience in their chosen field while collaborating with leading senior scientists. Fellowship recipients will participate into the life of a research unit, typically to help solve problems which are usually part of major research efforts. Often, this will lead to performing challenging programming or design tasks to prove new concepts.

Eligibility: BSc, BTech, MSc, MTech, or equivalent programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, or Electrical Engineering
Duration: 2 – 3 months
Deadline: Beginning of December

For more information, click here.

The EPFL Excellence in Engineering (E3) Program offers an intensive research training opportunity to BSc and MSc students interested in research careers in any field of engineering, science, and technology.
As an E3 intern, you will be joining a research group of EPFL for a period of 8 to 12 weeks during the summer months. Starting and ending dates are flexible to match the academic calendar of the selected students, depending on the availability of the host professors. The dates and the topic of the internship will be discussed during the recruiting process.

Eligibility: Undergraduate (junior) and Graduate
Duration: 8 – 12 weeks during summer months
Deadline: November

For more information, click here.

We offer international bachelor/1st year master’s Life Science students eight weeks of lab-immersion during the summer. Join one of our research groups and experience what it means to be part of the thriving science community in Switzerland. Open to students in biology, biophysics, chemistry, bioengineering, bioinformatics, quantitative biology and related fields.

Eligibility: Undergraduate (junior) up to first year of master’s degree and currently enrolled in a university
Duration: 2 months during summer months
Deadline: January

For more information, click here.

A 3-month research internship offered to outstanding students from all of our US partners institutions (except the University of Washington). This program is designed for our partners of choice and is part of our student exchange partnerships with them. Students from US partner institutions have to go through this program to come for a research internship at EPFL.

Eligibility: Undergradate or Masters, excellent students (top 10%), part of partner universities: Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, University California San Diego, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Duration: 3 months approx.
Deadline: November

For more information, click here.

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on home.cern. CERN offers a wide range of opportunities (including summer programs) for students, from undergraduates to PhD students:

Eligibility: Undergraduate to PhD
Duration: Up to 36 months depending on the program
Deadline: Varies by program

For more information, click here.

The objective of Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

Eligibility: Must hold PhD, Open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career.
Duration: Between 1 -2 years
Deadline: September

For more information, click here.

Each year, the NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials offers up to 20 undergraduate students (from Switzerland and around the world) the opportunity to spend the summer participating in cutting-edge research within one of the Center research groups at the University of Fribourg, EPFL, ETHZ, CSEM or Empa. The undergraduate students have the chance to not only get a glimpse of advanced research work and acquire hands-on work experience, but also to develop transferable skills and network with professionals in their own field of interest.

Eligibility: Undergraduate (completed sophomore year) in relevant field of natural sciences
Duration: 8 – 12 weeks during summer months
Application opens: December

For more information, click here.

EURAXESS Switzerland is a network of 14 Swiss universities who provide services and practical information for internationally mobile researchers. They are engaged in supporting research careers. EURAXESS Switzerland is part of the pan-European EURAXESS initiative managed by the European Commission. EURAXESS Switzerland lets you thousands of job vacancies, funding opportunities, and hosting positions available across Europe and beyond.

Target Group: PhD and beyond

For more information, click here.

During 8 weeks in July and August, the SUR Programme hosts about 15 Bachelor (first university degree) students with both biological and medical studies background from around the world. Each participant will perform an individual research project in a different laboratory of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine. This programme aims to attract outstanding motivated students for a research experience that will remain with them for their lifetimes.

Eligibility: Undergraduate (completed sophomore year) in the fields of biology, medicine or a related discipline
Duration: 8 weeks in July and August
Deadline: 31 January

For more information, click here.

research.swiss is a centralised platform showcasing scientific and technological cooperation opportunities between Switzerland and the rest of the world. Launched by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in collaboration with Swissnex, the new platform aims to facilitate collaboration in research and innovation by providing researchers, higher education institutions and innovators with a unique overview of the most important funding instruments, calls for joint research projects, and mobility programmes. As a small and landlocked country in the heart of Europe, Swiss research and innovation is already very international.

For more information, click here.