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ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships
The ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship programme (ETH Fellows) supports incoming postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich. The programme is intended to foster young researchers who have already demonstrated scientific excellence in the early stages of their careers. This prestigious early career programme is geared towards high potential academics with 40-50% of the fellows securing a professorship within a few years after the fellowship.
Applications to ETH Fellows have to be supported by an ETH Zurich professor acting as the mentor of the fellow. A professor may only submit with one candidate in each evaluation round. There must be convincing synergies between the host (group) and the ETH Fellow. The fellowships are intended as early support towards academic independence, hence priority will be given to applicants who propose their own projects. Thus, it is important that applicants come up with their own ideas and draft the application themselves, and that the applicant and mentor have not closely collaborated prior to the fellowship.
The fellowship is competitive with only a limited number of fellowships available each year. The success rate was about 15 - 20% in the last rounds. Applications from candidates of all genders and backgrounds are strongly encouraged. We monitor success rates in order to avoid potential biases.
Project duration, funding and budgeting
The duration of an ETH Fellowship is two years and cannot be prolonged. The fellowship covers the fellow's salary (100%, based on ETH standards). ETH Fellows are also entitled to CHF 12,000 per year for research expenses, including travel/mobility allowances and research cost contributions. The budget allocated for travel and research costs may not be used to cover salary costs, and vice versa.
The following salary rates apply for 2026 (100%, based on ETH standards)
| Year | Gross salary | Total rates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHF 92,500 | CHF 106,400 |
| 2 | CHF 97'200 | CHF 111,800 |
| Total | CHF 189,700 | CHF 218,200 |
The total rates must be used for budgeting. They include 15.0% social security contributions to be paid by ETH Zurich.
Deadline and evaluation
Submission deadlines are 1 March and 1 September at 17:00 Swiss local time each year.
If a submission deadline falls on a weekend, it will be postponed to the following Monday, 17:00 Swiss local time.
The interview dates are tied to the deadlines as indicated below and will be conducted via video call.
Interview details for the 2026 calls:
(The exact dates for 2027 will be updated at the end of 2026/beginning of 2027.)
| Deadline | Interview dates |
|---|---|
| Mon, 2 March 2026, 17:00 Swiss local time | Tue, 19 May / Wed, 20 May / Thu, 21 May 2026 |
| Tue, 1 September 2026, 17:00 Swiss local time | Tue, 10 Nov / Wed, 11 Nov / Thu, 12 Nov 2026 |
Within two months after the deadline, the candidates will be informed whether they are invited to an interview. The final funding decisions are communicated about four months after the submission deadline.
ETH Fellows are expected to start their fellowship at the latest eight months after the submission deadline. A later start is only possible in exceptional cases, and only if the applicant's circumstances have changed during the evaluation period. Approval must be requested from the Grants Office. The ETH fellowship always starts on the first day of a month.
AI Based Application Success Predictor
1. Highly original, high-risk/high-reward research (highest predictor)
This is the defining characteristic of ETH Grants.
ETH explicitly prioritizes projects that:
- Venture into unexplored research areas
- Pursue bold, unconventional ideas
- Have potential for fundamental discoveries
- Could lead to transformative technologies
- Are difficult to fund through traditional agencies
Projects that are merely incremental extensions of existing work receive low priority.
2. Clear departure from the PI's existing research program (very high predictor)
One of the most distinctive ETH requirements is that proposals should represent a "step-out" project.
Competitive proposals should:
- Explore a genuinely new research direction
- Move beyond the PI's current core research
- Avoid simply extending ongoing projects
- Demonstrate scientific independence from previous work
Projects that could readily be submitted to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) as routine follow-on studies are generally not considered competitive for ETH Grants.
3. Scientific excellence and potential for major impact (very high predictor)
Successful proposals address important scientific questions with the potential to generate:
- Fundamental new knowledge
- Breakthrough technologies
- High scientific visibility
- Broad disciplinary influence
- Significant innovation
ETH seeks projects capable of producing internationally recognized advances rather than incremental improvements.
4. Strong innovation and interdisciplinarity (very high predictor)
Innovation is central to ETH funding.
Competitive projects frequently involve:
- Novel methodologies
- Emerging technologies
- Cross-disciplinary approaches
- Integration of different scientific fields
- Creative combinations of expertise
For Collaborative ETH Grants, interdisciplinary collaboration between two or three ETH research groups with clear added scientific value is a major evaluation criterion.
5. Strong feasibility despite ambitious goals (very high predictor)
Although ETH encourages high-risk ideas, proposals must remain technically credible.
Strong applications include:
- Clear hypotheses
- Appropriate methodology
- Realistic milestones
- Sound experimental design
- Risk-mitigation strategies
- Feasible timelines
The balance between ambition and feasibility is critical.
6. Outstanding investigator track record (very high predictor)
Applicants are generally expected to have demonstrated research excellence.
For most ETH Grants, Principal Investigators should:
- Hold an ETH appointment
- Have an active externally peer-reviewed grant (e.g., SNSF or EU funding), unless exempt as a newly appointed professor or career-development fellow
- Show a strong publication record
- Demonstrate leadership in their field
For postdoctoral schemes, scientific achievements relative to career stage are emphasized.
7. Strong potential to enable future external funding (very high predictor)
ETH views many of its internal schemes as seed funding.
Competitive proposals clearly explain how the project will:
- Generate preliminary data
- Enable future SNSF applications
- Strengthen ERC proposals
- Support EU funding
- Launch new long-term research directions
A successful project should position the investigator for larger competitive grants.
8. High-quality research environment and institutional support (high predictor)
Reviewers expect applicants to have access to:
- Advanced research infrastructure
- Appropriate laboratories
- Technical expertise
- Institutional commitment
- Strong mentoring (for early-career schemes)
For ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships, a committed host professor and strong scientific synergy between host and applicant are essential.
9. Strong independence and leadership potential (very high predictor for early-career awards)
Programs such as ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships, Career Seed Awards, and Focus Grants prioritize applicants who demonstrate the ability to establish an independent research career.
Competitive applicants typically show:
- Independent research ideas
- Evidence of leadership
- Original publications
- Limited prior dependence on the proposed mentor
- A clear academic career trajectory
For ETH Postdoctoral Fellowships, applicants are encouraged to propose their own project, and priority is given to candidates who have not closely collaborated with the host professor previously.
10. Strong collaboration with clear added value (high predictor for collaborative grants)
For collaborative funding schemes, reviewers expect collaboration to create scientific value beyond the sum of individual contributions.
Strong collaborative proposals demonstrate:
- Complementary expertise
- Shared scientific objectives
- Integrated methodology
- Clearly defined roles
- Novel interdisciplinary approaches
Simply combining multiple groups without genuine integration is unlikely to be competitive.
Specialties
Eligibility Requirements
- At the time of the submission deadline, applicants must have a doctoral degree (Doctor of Sciences or PhD) in hand or obtain it within the next six months.
- Applicants with the doctorate (PhD) must have obtained it a maximum of two years prior to the submission deadline. The decisive date is the date of the examination or defense/viva voce.
- Applicants need to have at least one scientific publication in a peer-reviewed journal or have been awarded a prize for their doctoral thesis.
- Applicants who resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than twelve months in the three years immediately before the submission deadline are ineligible.
- Applicants who carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) at either ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, a research institute of the ETH domain (PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag), or the University of Zurich for more than six months in the three years immediately before the submission deadline are ineligible.
Eligibility host professor
- The host professor (mentor) must have a guaranteed ETH position (minimum 50% employment contract) for the entire duration of the proposed fellowship.
- Assistant professors must contact the Grants Office before submitting the proposal to ensure their eligibility.
- ETH professors may apply to host no more than one ETH Fellow per evaluation round.
- For the duration of the fellowship, hosts may be called upon to review applications for the ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme (service requirement).
Sponsor Details
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: Rämistrasse 101 HG E 32 / 34 8092 Zurich
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Grant
Multiple Deadlines:
1 March and 1 September
Funding Amount:
$270,032
CHF 218,200
Host Details
Affiliation: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
Address: Rämistrasse 101 HG E 32 / 34 8092 Zurich
Website URL: https://grantsoffice.ethz.ch/funding-opportunities/internal/eth-fellowships.html
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.
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