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Academic funding from PhD to professorship

Funding opportunities in Switzerland for each career stage, from PhD to professorship, and where to look for third-party funding.
Last updated

October 23, 2026

Here is what you can apply for in Switzerland, from PhD to your own group. If you’re planning an application, talk to Arpat early.

Before your PhD

  • Professors’ own research budgets Professors often have university funds that can pay a PhD student for the first one or two years, as a bridge to longer-term funding such as an SNSF project.
  • SNSF Project Funding Most PhD students in Switzerland are employed as doctoral research assistants on an SNSF project. Your salary comes from the professor’s project grant.
  • UZH Candoc Grants Pays the salary of a UZH doctoral student for up to 1 year of protected research time. You can also ask for some money for materials and travel (up to CHF 10,000).
  • Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship For PhD students from selected countries, mostly outside Europe and often from developing regions.

During your PhD

At UZH

  • UZH Candoc Grants Pays the salary of a UZH doctoral student for up to 1 year of protected research time. You can also ask for some money for materials and travel (up to CHF 10,000).
  • UZH Doc.Mobility Lets you do part of your PhD at a research institute abroad for 6–12 months. It covers living costs and travel, and in well-argued cases also tuition fees.
  • Graduate Campus (GRC) Travel Grants For PhD students and postdocs going abroad for short research stays, workshops, summer schools or conferences. It pays towards travel and a daily allowance, depending on where and how long.
  • FAN Academic Excellence Fellowships For outstanding, innovative early-career researchers at UZH.

From outside UZH

  • SNSF Project Funding Most PhD students in Switzerland are employed as doctoral research assistants on an SNSF project. Your salary comes from the professor’s project grant.
  • SNSF Mobility Grants in Projects If you’re employed on an SNSF project, you can apply for a research stay abroad of 6–12 months. It covers travel and living costs, and fees for conferences and workshops.
  • Marie Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA) Fully funded PhD positions in international research networks. You apply for one of the advertised positions.

As a postdoc

At UZH and ETH Zurich

  • UZH Postdoc Grants Seed money for up to 1 year, for salary and research costs, to help you prepare an external grant application.
  • ETH Zurich Postdoc Grants Like the UZH grants, but usually for up to 2 years. For researchers at or working closely with ETH Zurich.

From the SNSF

  • SNSF Postdoc.Mobility A research stay abroad of 12–24 months, with an optional return grant. A great first step after your PhD.
  • SNSF Ambizione For postdocs ready to become independent. It pays your salary and a project for up to 4 years, and you can supervise students.
  • SNSF Project Funding Some universities and groups let advanced postdocs apply as PI or co-PI.
  • Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship For postdocs from selected countries, mostly outside Europe and often from developing regions.
  • SNSF Spark For postdocs and more senior researchers. It can pay a salary for up to 1 year.

International fellowships

Starting your own group

  • SNSF Starting Grants For new group leaders: your salary and the full costs of a project for 5 years. The Swiss version of the ERC Starting Grant.
  • SNSF Project Funding Pays for your group’s projects: staff, consumables, fieldwork and so on. You can renew it every 4 years.

Later in your career

  • SNSF Consolidator Grants For researchers 7–12 years after their PhD who are building up their group.
  • SNSF Advanced Grants For senior researchers (12 or more years after their PhD) leading large, high-impact research.

A typical path

  • PhD: GRC travel grants → UZH Doc.Mobility → Candoc
  • Postdoc: UZH or ETH Postdoc Grants → Postdoc.Mobility → Marie Curie → Ambizione → Starting Grant
  • Group leader: Starting Grant → Project Funding → Consolidator → Advanced

Money from foundations, trusts and funds

Where to look

esa.admin.ch/de/stiftungsverzeichnis is the official list of all foundations based in Switzerland. You can search it by keyword, and it gives each foundation’s description, purpose and address (in German, French or Italian). It doesn’t tell you whether a foundation funds research.

fundraiso.ch/en covers foundations, trusts and funds worldwide. Search it by keyword for up-to-date contacts, each organisation’s purpose, board and funding, and whether it gives grants. It can alert you to new foundations. All features need a yearly subscription.

How to apply

First check whether the organisation has funding guidelines and deadlines. If it has none, send:

  • a cover letter of one page at most, ideally in the organisation’s language;
  • your scientific proposal: the shorter the better, and English is fine;
  • the total budget, split into salary and equipment. Show which part is already covered, and by whom. Then state the amount you’re asking for, and say you’re happy if they cover only part of it, or only the salary or only the equipment.