The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are designed for young researchers from abroad who have completed either a master’s degree or a PhD, as well as international artists who hold a bachelor’s degree.
Research Scholarships
These scholarships, which include research fellowships, PhD, and Postdoctoral positions, are open to postgraduate researchers across various fields.
Research scholarships can be used for research or study at all Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, the two federal institutes of technology, and four research institutes. Only candidates nominated by an academic supervisor at one of these institutions will be considered.
Selection Process
Applications are first screened by the relevant national authorities or Swiss diplomatic missions. Those that pass this initial review are then assessed by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), which makes the final decision.
The FCS evaluates applications based on three primary criteria:
- Profile of the candidate
- Quality of the research project or artistic work
- Potential for future research collaborations
The FCS is composed of professors from Swiss public universities, and scholarship decisions are based on academic and scientific excellence. The results for the scholarship cycle will be announced by the FCS.
Details about scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year will be available online starting August 2024.