EPFL launched the third call for applications for EPFLeaders4impact, a new postdoctoral fellowship programme funding experienced researchers from all over the world who have the ambition and the potential to provide innovative solutions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Granted applicants will carry out their project at one of the five EPFL campuses and will benefit from a multifaceted training programme, including a collaboration with the non-academic sector.
During the programme, EPFLeaders4impact fellows will be able to take steps towards starting a company based on their own research or to have their proposed innovative solution implemented through a technology transfer to an existing company/organisation.
Download here the EPFLeaders4impact flyer. EPFLeaders4impact strongly encourages women to apply.
Who?
Applicants of any nationality can apply, provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria of the programme.
Applicants can freely choose their project topic, which must be included in the research areas of EPFL and address at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They must seek the support of an academic supervisor at EPFL and of a partner from the non-academic sector, which can be a company, an NGO, an international organisation, or a public institution.
Eligibility requirements
- Applicants must be Experienced Researchers (ER); they must hold a doctoral degree or have at least 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience by at the latest the date of recruitment.
- “Full-time equivalent research experience” is measured from the date when the researcher obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctorate (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher was recruited or where he or she was seconded) – even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged.
- Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline. Exceptions to these rules are possible in order to ensure equal opportunities for applicants whose scientific career was interrupted. Therefore, the time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention, compulsory national service, maternity leave, and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.
- Applicants must be able to carry out full-time research during the fellowship period. Parental leave, sick leave, care leave, and military leave are nevertheless permitted. The fellowships must start: Call 3: at the earliest on 1 July 2023 and at the latest on 1 November 2023.
What?
EPFL is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. Its mission is to provide first-rate education, foster pioneering research, and promote cutting-edge technological innovation.
Fellowships will be granted for a duration of 12, 18, 24 or 36 months based on the field of research and on the level of development/maturity of the proposed innovation. Depending on the fellowship duration requested by the granted applicants, the programme will fund between 40 and 120 fellowships.
Granted applicants will carry out their project at one of the five EPFL campuses and will benefit from a dedicated training programme to equip them with a comprehensive set of skills to enhance their scientific excellence, their entrepreneurial capacity, and their leadership potential. In addition, they will benefit from intersectoral exposure through the mandatory collaboration with the non-academic partner.
During the programme, the fellows will be able to take steps towards starting a company based on their own research or to have their proposed innovative solution implemented through a technology transfer to an existing company/organisation.
Deadline: 1 March 2023.