Funding for Postdocs
If you intend to launch an independent academic career, acquiring third-party funding is important, and increasingly so in times of severe budget constraints. Having your own funding will help you gain scientific independence, demonstrate competitiveness, and very often works as a stepstone towards faculty and other senior research positions, both in academia and the private sector.
Inform yourself about the funding opportunities and their eligibility requirements, and carefully study the information provided below, including the corresponding guidelines of the various funding instruments. If you have further questions about which instruments are suitable for your needs, please contact the Grants Office: .
We organise regular events on funding for postdocs. You can find more information and the presentation of the last event on the dedicated website.
The main funding agencies for researchers based in Switzerland, or those who are planning to do research in Switzerland, are the external page Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for basic, investigator-driven research, the Swiss innovation agency external page Innosuisse for applied, closer-to-market research, and the external page European Union’s Horizone Europe programme. Additionally, ETH Zurich offers its own funding instruments for research at our institution.
There are different types of funding instruments that also differ by career stage: while career funding instruments generally only cover the grantee’s salary and some travel costs and consumables, project funding - which is usually intended for more advanced researchers who have a permanent position - pays for the salaries of project staff, equipment and consumables. There are also mixed funding types and grants, where the funds can be used flexibly for the respective needs.
Also, the purpose of the funding instruments varies: some are for establishing research careers in Switzerland, others for gaining valuable mobility experience. Thus, it is important to consider where you want to use the funding: at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland, or even abroad.
You can find more information on the postdoctoral phase at ETH Zurich here.