ETH Zurich Career Seed Awards

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (obtained not more than six years ago at the submission deadline) as well as a non-​permanent position as a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich for the intended duration of the project. Applicants must have been employed as postdoctoral researchers at ETH for at least six months at the date of the submission deadline. They must already have scientific achievements from their time as postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich.

Each proposal must be accompanied by a letter of support from the host professor that indicates approval of the submission (see application procedure).   

Projects will be funded with a lump sum of CHF 30,000 for up to 12 months.

Funding is mainly intended to cover running costs but may also be used for the salaries of temporary staff such as field assistants or technicians.

Funding may not be used for the applicant's own salary or to support doctoral students.

Applications must be submitted electronically in pdf format using the ETH Zurich grant application system (eResearch). The template for the project description can be downloaded from this page.

Submission deadlines are 1 March and 1 September at 17:00 Swiss local time each year.

Proposals are evaluated according to homogenous quality standards by the ETH Zurich Research Commission, which then issues a funding recommendation to the Vice President Research. As of the fall of 2021, ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellows are involved in the evaluation procedure.

Notification of decisions will normally be sent to the applicant within four months of the submission deadline. Career Seed Awards can start immediately after formal approval, but no later than two months after the reception of the decision letter.