ETH Pioneer Fellowship 2027 in Switzerland

Summary

The ETH Pioneer Fellowship is a competitive, fully funded incubation program at ETH Zurich designed for entrepreneurial Master’s graduates, PhD students, and Postdoctoral researchers. The program supports candidates in transforming their research findings into scalable products, services, and commercial spin-off companies. Candidates can apply under either the Deep-Tech Incubation Program or the Social Impact Incubation Program.

Designation

• Pioneer Fellow (Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeitende / Scientific Employee at ETH Zurich)

Table

Research Area

• Deep-Tech Incubation: Technology, engineering, and scientific research commercialization.
• Social Impact Incubation: Science and technology applications focused on addressing major societal challenges through scalable spin-offs.

Location

• ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Eligibility/Qualification

• Applicants must hold a Master’s or Doctoral degree from ETH Zurich.
• Open to teams of 1 to 2 entrepreneurs who wish to commercialize research resulting from an ETH Master’s thesis, Doctoral thesis, or Postdoctoral research.
• The company must not yet be incorporated at the time of application.
• The candidate and project must be fully supported by an ETH Host Professor who agrees to provide required infrastructure and support throughout the fellowship duration.

Job Description

Pioneer Fellows are employed as scientific staff at ETH Zurich. The 150,000 CHF fellowship grant provides comprehensive support for the project, including:

• Salary Expenses: Personal salary based on education level.
• Equipment & Materials: Consumables, equipment, facility measurement fees (e.g., FIRST, ScopeM, EPIC), and specialized software licenses.
• Development & Operational Costs: Pre-clinical trials and outsourced services (e.g., market research, consulting, software development).
• Travel & Networking: Attendance at industry fairs, partner engagement events, customer visits, and investor pitches.
• Tuition Support: Mandatory enrollment in the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Technology Ventures (CAS ELTV) with tuition covered up to 9,200 CHF.

How to Apply

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Applications must be written directly by the candidate and submitted online via the official ETH Pioneer Fellowship web portal.

Required Application Documents:

1. Project Summary: Non-confidential overview of planned activities, market scope, and innovation potential.
2. Detailed Project Description: Explanation of research results, business model, market analysis, intellectual property (IP) licensing plan, and milestone timeline.
3. Financial Budget: Detailed breakdown of project expenses.
4. Candidate CV: Full resume listing relevant publications and career objectives.
5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Form signed by the candidates and host professor.
6. Support Letter from Host Professor: Evaluation letter outlining available infrastructure and confirmation of employment support.
7. 2-Minute Video Presentation: Project pitch video in MP4 format uploaded via Polybox.

Last Date for Apply

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Applications are evaluated biannually with two regular cutoff dates:

• First Intake Deadline: March 1
• Second Intake Deadline: September 1