2. Application criteria (postdoctoral scholarship)
Applicants are advised to include at least the following documents.
- Letter of motivation
- CV
- Two to three letters of reference
- Transcripts and diplomas
- Research plan (two to three A4 pages)
- Academic competence of the candidate: Academic profile, the research capacity and motivation
- Quality of the research proposal: Originality, methodological soundness and time-frame of the project
- Academic context: Quality and context of supervision and the potential for future academic cooperation
- Language proficiency of the candidate
- Max. five years after completion of doctoral degree
We advise you not to support more than two applicants per year.
The professorship must ensure compliance with applicable protected page export control law.
The copy of the doctoral certificate should be submitted by 30 June in order to ensure registration via Human Resources in time.
Applicants can underestimate how long it takes for documents to be issued. In the past, documents not submitted on time have prevented project starts. Even though this is the responsibility of the applicants, we ask you to take the deadline into account in your assessment (i.e. how realistic is it that the documents will be available on time).
The terms and conditions of the scholarships – set by the FCS – may limit the grantee's research activities, which you should take into account when making your decision.
- The scholarship must be completed in Switzerland. Any trip abroad or absence from the place of study lasting longer than two weeks must be reported to and approved by the Student Exchange Office. Mixed research (part time in Switzerland and part time in another country) is not allowed.
- This scholarship does not allow field trips outside Switzerland. In case the scholarship holder has fieldwork abroad, the scholarship will be suspended during the time abroad.
- All additional income (internship, employment, scholarship) must be reported to the Student Exchange Office and approved by the FCS in advance.
- Internships abroad or as part of Swiss mobility (exchange semester) are not accepted.
- Change of study programme must be reported to the Student Exchange Office and approved by the FCS.
- Additional or part-time studies must be reported to the Student Exchange Office and approved by the FCS.
- When accepting the scholarship, grantees agree in writing to return to their home country after completing their studies. Further employment after the end of their studies contradicts the intention of the scholarship (i.e. avoiding brain drain).
Applicants who have been living in Switzerland for more than one year at the time of the planned start of the scholarship will not be considered.