State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships are awarded annually by the Swiss Confederation to encourage international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 countries. Recipients are selected by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS). The scholarships are mainly intended for talented early career researchers from abroad who have already completed their Master's degree or PhD. Research scholarships are available to postgraduate researchers in any discipline wishing to pursue research at Swiss cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences, federal institutes of technology (ETHZ or EPFL), or research institutes within the ETH Domain (PSI, WSL, Empa, Eawag). The scholarship application must be backed by an academic supervisor in Switzerland who is willing to direct and guide the applicant's proposed research. Scholarship types include research fellowships, PhD scholarships, and PostDoc scholarships. Art scholarships are also available for students wishing to pursue an initial Master's degree in an artistic field in Switzerland, though these are limited to students from specific countries. Applications are assessed based on three criteria: candidate profile, quality of the research project or artistic work, and synergies and potential for future research cooperation. Scholarship decisions are announced by the end of May for the following academic year.