Funding for PhD Researchers

1. PhD / Research at UZH
2 Research Stay Abroad
3. Further funding opportunities for PhD's

The question of whether and how to do a doctorate depends to a large extent on how to finance it. Basically, there are two possibilities: through a employment at UZH or by pursuing a professional activity outside the university.

Employment at the University can take place in different ways: You have the opportunity to apply for a position as an assistant or doctoral candidate. Information about open doctoral positions is best obtained directly from your supervisor or on the UZH job platform. Or you can raise funds independently to finance your doctorate. Below you will find funding instruments where doctoral researchers can apply for fellowships or a project funds.

1. PhD / Research at UZH

The following opportunities enable you to fully or partially finance your doctoral research at UZH. This overview is not exhaustive. Be sure to inquire about specific funding opportunities in your department or faculty.

UZH Candoc Grant	The University of Zurich supports research projects of PhD researchers.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships	With these scholarships, foreign PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in all disciplines can fund a research stay at a Swiss higher education institution.
SEMP (Formerly Erasmus) and International Agreements	PhD students can arrange a stay at UZH via the Swiss-European Mobility Program (formerly Erasmus) or via other international agreements.

2 Research Stay Abroad

Mobility experience is of great importance for a academic career. The following programmes offer financial support for a stay abroad during doctoral research.

UZH Doc.Mobility	With a UZH Doc.Mobility grant, PhD researchers can fund a stay abroad of 6 to 12 months.
GRC Travel Grants	The Graduate Campus supports short research stays abroad.
Mobility Grants for SNSF Projects	PhD researchers who are employed in an SNSF-funded research project can apply for a grant to finance a stay abroad of 6 to 12 months.
SEMP (Formerly Erasmus) and International Agreements	PhD researchers can arrange a stay abroad via the Swiss-European Mobility Program (formerly Erasmus) or via other international agreements.
Foreign Government Scholarships	Roughly 40 countries award grants to PhD students and postdoctoral researchers for a stay abroad.
UZH Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme	The UZH Global Strategy and Partnerships Funding Scheme supports UZH faculties, departments and professional service units in pursuing joint collaboration initiatives with specific partner universities of UZH.

3. Further funding opportunities for PhD's

GRC Grants	The Graduate Campus funds early career researchers' scientific activities.
VAUZ Meeting Fund	The VAUZ Meeting Fund supports in particular the attendance of scientific events (conferences, symposia, workshops and the like) that are of considerable importance for early career researchers at the University of Zurich.
DIZH Innovation Program	The University of Zurich (UZH), the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH) are networking in DIZH to promote research on topics related to digital transformation.
BRIDGE Proof of Concept	BRIDGE (a joint program conducted by SNSF and Innosuisse) supports projects at the intersection of basic research and science-based innovation. BRIDGE Proof of Concept is aimed at young researchers who wish to develop an application or service based on their research results.
Science Booster	Launch a crowdfunding campaign for your scientific project and double the target amount with the Science Booster.
Cotutelle de thèse	In some cases, it is a good idea to pursue your doctoral degree at a university abroad. It is also possible to earn your doctorate at two universities: In a cotutelle de thèse program, PhD researchers can be enrolled in two universities at the same time. The program requires students to spend at least a third of the time at the partner university; upon completion of the degree, both universities will issue a diploma.