The Engineering for Development Doctoral Scholarship programme promotes the development of products or methods which are directly relevant for improving the livelihoods of poor people in developing or transition countries. It awards two doctoral fellowships per year and promotes projects which are directly relevant for improving the livelihoods of poor people in developing countries.
Location of Study: Switzerland
Scholarship Type: full scholarships
Faculty of study: Engineering
Level of Study: Postgraduate:
Scholarship Value: The grant sum is 175’000 CHF to cover the salary costs of the doctoral student for three years.
Eligibility
To be admitted to the selection process, the application has to fulfill the following requirements:
The candidate
– The entrance requirements for doctoral studies at the ETH Zurich and at the particular department must be fulfilled.
– Experience in the selected research area is required.
– Preference will be given to citizens of least developed countries and other low-income countries according to the OECD classification.
The supervisor
– The supervisor confirms his/her commitment to the project by a letter of support, indicating his/her contribution to the project in cash or kind.
– If the concept note is selected for elaboration into a full proposal, the supervisor invites the candidate for a lab visit and an interview with the selection committee at the expense of his/her chair. This does not apply to candidates who know the supervisor already.
The research project
– The proposal is a new doctoral project, not complementary funding to on-going research.
– The proposal is of high scientific quality.
– The research topic is innovative and relevant for development.
– The ecological, socio-economic and cultural context is taken into account.
– The research project is realistic and reasonable results can be expected.
– The expected impact of the research is high for the intended target group
How to Apply
The application procedure consists of the two following steps:
First step
The candidate submits a concept note (details see below) to ETH Global (Patricia Heuberger, patricia.heuberger@sl.ethz.ch). The deadline for submitting concept notes is 31 March. Only concept notes fulfilling all indicated requirements will be taken into consideration and evaluated by the selection committee with regard to their suitability for the E4D Scholarship.
Second step
Candidates whose concept note is accepted by the selection committee elaborate a full proposal together with the professor who agreed to supervise the project. If the candidate and the professor do not know each other, they must set up a meeting to discuss the full proposal elaboration. This meeting is either a face-to-face meeting or a skype meeting.
The proposal is submitted to ETH Global by the supervising ETH professor.
Deadline
31 August.