ETH Pioneer Fellowship 2027 in Switzerland (Paid)

The ETH Pioneer Fellowship Program 2027 in Switzerland is a fully funded incubation program for entrepreneurial Master's, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral students and researchers from ETH Zurich. It aims to help them transform their research-based ideas and technologies into market-ready products and services, ultimately leading to the launch of a successful ETH spin-off company. The program duration is 12 to 18 months. There are two main tracks: Deep-Tech Incubation and Global Development Incubation.

This is a fully-funded fellowship. Pioneer Fellows receive either CHF 120,000 for 12 months (for ICT, Space Tech, Engineering, and other fields) or CHF 180,000 for 18 months (for Life Sciences, Pharma, and Medtech). This funding covers the applicant's salary costs and other project-related expenses such as general expenses, travel/field expenses, industry fairs, equipment, project-specific consumables, measurement costs, software licenses, costs of pre-clinical trials, and outsourcing activities. Additionally, a tuition fee of CHF 9,200 for the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS ETH in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Technology Ventures) can be covered. Fellows also receive coaching, entrepreneurial training, support from a host professor, and access to ETH infrastructure and its entrepreneurial ecosystem. The grant cannot be combined with other personal grants linked to an employment contract, but combinations with most additional external funds (e.g., prize money, Innosuisse funds) are permitted.

This fellowship is open to entrepreneurial students and researchers who have obtained a Master's or Doctoral degree from ETH Zurich. Applicants must be international students from any country, including Ethiopia. The program is designed for individuals or teams of 1-2 entrepreneurs who intend to commercialize the results of their research (Master's thesis, doctoral thesis, or postdoctoral research) conducted at ETH. A promising business case is a key requirement.

Applicants must submit a written application, which must be accompanied by a letter of support from their host professor at ETH Zurich. The host professor must maintain their ETH position for the entire duration of the proposed Pioneer Fellowship and commit to providing necessary support and infrastructure within their professorship free of charge. Specific details on other required application materials are not clearly stated in the provided content, but typically include a project proposal and business plan.

Applications must be submitted electronically through the Pioneer Fellowship web-based system. There are two application intakes annually: the first deadline is March 1st, and the second is September 1st. Interested candidates should visit the official application portal to access the system and submit their application.

Re-application is not permitted if a previous application was rejected. Applicants must choose to apply for either the Deep-Tech Incubation Program or the Global Development Incubation Program, as applying for both in the same call is not allowed. Approximately 5-6 Deep-Tech Incubation Pioneer Fellowships are granted per call. The program's core objective is to facilitate the creation of scalable ETH spin-off companies with either deep-tech or positive social impact.