ELIGIBILITY:

The fellowship is available to Master’s students, PhD candidates or postdoctoral researchers who fulfil the following criteria: 

You are currently engaged with an education or research programme that complements the research group that you are applying to work with.

You remain enrolled or employed at your home institution until the end of the fellowship.

For PhD students and postdoctoral researchers: You will continue to receive your salary from your home institution.

You have not studied or worked at the institution which will host you in Switzerland in the past. 

You meet the requirements of the host institution. Find links in the FAQ.

Deliverables: Research report; Financial report;

Any resulting publications must include mention of the fellowship: “This work was supported by NCCR Automation, grant agreement 51NF40_180545 from the Swiss National Science Foundation.”

A good application takes time and requires your commitment. Apply via the online platform and provide the requested input and documents below in PDF format. The submission deadline is 30.06.2025 at 17:00 (CEST).  

CV (max. 2 pages) with publications (if relevant);

Motivation letter for Master’s student (max. 2 pages);

Research proposal for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers (covering your research question and how you intend to go about answering the question or contribute to answering it, with an accompanying plan and/or timeline max. 2 pages);

Letter of support from home institution and supervisor;

Copy of university degree(s) and/or transcripts;

Candidates must choose up to three research topics and three principal investigators (PIs) within the NCCR Automation to act as host in case of a successful application. A list of PIs can be found on the application form or on the people page of this website or on FAQ page.  

Candidates should specify any sort of income from the home institution or from any other sources during the period of the fellowship, if any. 

BENEFIT:

Duration: max. 6 months, to be concluded no later than 31.07.2026. 

Budget: Fellows will receive a contribution to the increased costs of living in Switzerland during the period of the visit. The amount will be calculated based on the estimated study and living costs for international students by ETHZ and considering individual needs and additional sources of income, if applicable. 

The PI supervising the student will cover project-related expenses, such as travel costs to NCCR Automation meetings.

Applicants must declare any scholarships they benefit from during their research stay with them.