ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship

ThinkSwiss offers scholarships for research in Switzerland. Supports highly motivated U.S. undergrad & grad students (all fields) to do research at a public Swiss university or research institute for 2-3 months.

ThinkSwiss is a scholarship program funded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). It is managed by the Office of Science, Technology, and Higher Education at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C. and supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Ottawa, Canada.

The aim of the program is to promote research opportunities in Switzerland for American and Canadian students and to foster exchange between Swiss, U.S., and Canadian universities and research institutions. The ThinkSwiss program encompasses both the Summer School Travel Grants and Research Scholarships.

The ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship opens doors to the world of Swiss academia, which combines a high quality curriculum with innovative thinking. The scholarship is open to students from all fields if they have an acceptance letter from a professor at a Swiss university for a research stay in their group. Students will be provided with a prorated amount according to the length of their stay: a monthly scholarship of CHF 1,600 (approx. USD 1,600) for a period of two to three months (CHF 4,800 maximum).

More information can be found at: https://thinkswiss.org 

Application Process: 

In order to apply, please fill out the contact form on this page and upload all supporting documents in PDF format by January 15, 2022. In order to be considered for this scholarship, each application must contain the following materials:

  1. The completed application online form
  2. A research project outline (e.g. an overview of the tasks and milestones of your project that you agreed on with your host professor, max. 2 pages)
  3. A letter of motivation/explanation of why you should be awarded the ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, why you would make an excellent “student ambassador” in the future, and why you choose Switzerland as your research destination (please keep this within 2 pages)
  4. A CV (no more than two pages)
  5. A copy of your current university transcripts and diplomas (if applicable)
  6. A letter of acceptance from the host professor and/or hosting institution in Switzerland (we expect this letter to highlight the relevance of your research)
  7. A letter of recommendation from a current professor who can attest to the applicant’s abilities

For further questions please contact washington.science@eda.admin.ch. Please note that January 15, 2022, is the final deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an automated email response confirming your submission. Regardless of whether or not you receive the email, please also send an email to washington.science@eda.admin.ch to inform the program that you have made your submission. 

Please allow the program a couple of days to contact you personally after your submission. If you do not receive an personal email from the office within one week after your submission, please get in touch with them via the email above.

Application deadline: January 15, 2022