ETH Zurich 2023 Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Program, Switzerland

The goal of the Engineering for Development (E4D) Programme is to promote research and education for people in low-?income countries.

The E4D Programme is generously funded through the external pageSawiris Foundation for Social Developmentcall_made and the external pageSwiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.call_made The current programme phase runs from 2019 to 2023.

• Table of Content
• About ETH Zurich
• ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship
• ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Courses
• Requirements for ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Qualification
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About ETH Zurich

A brief overview of more than 150 years of ETH Zurich history   Established in 1855 as the Federal Polytechnic School, ETH Zurich has, from the outset, been a national centre for education with international appeal, attracting talent from all over the world. The successful combination of a cosmopolitan outlook with national roots made the young educational institution one of the driving forces behind industrialisation in Switzerland: it brought the necessary expertise into the country, trained technical specialists and helped set up groundbreaking national infrastructures. ... continue reading

ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship

The grant sum is 175'000 CHF to cover the salary costs of the doctoral students for three years. ETH professors cover the 4th year of the doctoral studies as well as costs related to the research itself.

ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Courses

• Engineering

Requirements for ETH Zurich Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Qualification

 Applicant

• The Downloadgeneral entrance requirements (PDF, 180 KB)vertical_align_bottom for doctoral studies at the ETH Zurich and the respective department must be fulfilled.
• Experience in the selected research area is required.
• Preference will be given to citizens of low- and lower-middle-income countries according to the DownloadOECD DAC-2022-23 list (PDF, 204 KB)vertical_align_bottom.

Supervisor

• The doctoral supervisor must be an ETH professor and must have a guaranteed ETH position for the entire duration of the proposed project.
• It is expected that the ETH Zurich professor supports the candidate in elaborating the full proposal, if the concept note should be selected, and to supervise the candidate, if the full proposal is selected for funding.
• The supervisor confirms their commitment to the project by a letter of support, indicating their contribution to the project in cash or kind.

Research Project

• The research topic is within the thematic scope of ETH Zurich.
• The proposal is a new doctoral project, not complementary funding to an on-going research.
• Subject of the proposed research is the development of methods, technologies, tools or products, which generate a direct impact for underprivileged people in low-income countries.
• The ecological, socio-economic and cultural context is taken into account.

Partnership

• Projects involving research partners from a low-?income country have to be based on the
  KFPE principles.
• All partners are involved in project formulation and development.
• All partners make a substantial in-?kind or cash commitment.
• The project is integrated in the general activities of the involved institutions.
• Projects must include partners from countries on the DownloadOECD DAC-?2022-23 (PDF, 204 KB)vertical_align_bottom list.

Documents Required for Application

The concept note application must include:

• Completed DownloadConcept Note Application Form 2023 (PDF, 185 KB)vertical_align_bottom
• CV of the candidate
• Excellent MSc degree from a recognised university and grade transcripts
• Support letter of the supervising professor at ETH Zurich
• 2 reference letters from your field of research
• Relevant own publications or documentation of relevant activities relating to the project
• List of 5 independent reviewers (same field of research, but unknown to candidate and
  professor)
• Bibliography

Please refer to the DownloadEligibility and Criteria Document (PDF, 180 KB)vertical_align_bottom before applying. 

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Submission of the DownloadConcept Note Application Form 2023 (PDF, 185 KB)vertical_align_bottom to the E4D programme office by e-mail to [email protected]. Only concept notes fulfilling all indicated requirements will be taken into consideration.

For more details visit: ETH Zurich website.