Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
PhD Scholarships
Academic year: 2017-2018
Country: Pakistan
Opening of the call: 01.08.2016
Submission deadline: 30.09.2016
Scholarship
Swiss Government Excellence PhD Scholarships for foreign students
Offered by
The Swiss Government via the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students FCS
Objectives
To enable selected applicants to undertake a PhD at one of the 10 Swiss cantonal universities, the two Swiss federal institutes of technology or public teaching and research institutes.
Universities
University of Basel / University of Bern / University of Fribourg / University of Geneva / University of Lausanne / University of Lucerne / University of Neuchâtel / University of St Gallen / University of Zurich / University of Lugano Federal institutes of technology Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)
Teaching and research institutes
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID)
Validity- The scholarship is only valid for full-time PhD studies in Switzerland. It is not valid for mixed PhD programmes (part time in Switzerland and part time in another country).
Target group – Highly qualified postgraduate students (possessing the required degrees) from all academic fields.
Duration – 3 years maximum (starting in September).
Amount and additional allowances
The scholarship amounts to a monthly payment of CHF 1,920.
Tuition fees are waived.
For non-EU and non-EFTA grantees only: mandatory Swiss health insurance is paid by the FCS.
Non-European grantees receive a lump sum for their airfare (provided at the end of the scholarship).
Special CHF 300 housing allowance (paid once at the beginning of the scholarship).
One-year half-fare public transportation card.
Support services and various trips, dinners and sightseeing tours organised for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship holders.
Eligibility criteria and specific conditions
Master’s degree or equivalent university degree recognised by the Swiss university.The applicant must not be over 35 years old at the time of the application.Applicants who are in Switzerland for more than one year at the beginning
of the scholarship in September are not eligible.
Applicants must provide a letter (or email) from a professor at the Swiss host institution stating that they are willing and entitled to supervise the PhD.In those cases where the PhD is pursued within a structured doctoral school, applicants must include in their application an admission letter or proof that they are being considered for admission. Without such a document, the application will be rejected.For EPFL doctoral school candidates, the admission letter from the EPFL doctoral school is required. As this takes time, applicants must plan accordingly and submit their application for admission to the EPFL doctoral school sufficiently in advance of the scholarship programme deadline. Without these documents, the application will be rejected.Applicants must have a research proposal including a timeframe (this is the central piece of the application. The applicant must devote all required attention to it).
Applicants must be in command of the necessary language skills required for the PhD studies/research.Applicants who have already benefited from a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship are not eligible to apply for a second scholarship.
PLEASE NOTE:
The FCS application for a PhD scholarship and the application for admission by a Swiss university for a PhD study are two separate
procedures. Acceptance to a PhD study at your chosen Swiss university is a conditio sine qua non for a potential FCS scholarship. However, it does not guarantee a positive decision by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students FCS. It is the applicant’s responsibility to manage both procedures in parallel
Selection criteria
The following dimensions and selection criteria are primarily considered:
The candidate: academic profile and research capacity.
The research project: originality and methodological soundness.
The academic context: quality of supervision and the potential for future academic cooperation.
Application procedure
The application package can be obtained by email from the Swiss Embassy in Islamabad.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 30.09.2016.
Applications should be submitted in triplicate, with the number of copies indicated (hard copies only). The original, signed documents and attested
translations should be submitted, along with two copies. For details see the Application Guidelines available at your contact institution (see below).
Application timeframe
Opening of the call: 01.08.2016
Application deadline: 30.09.2016
Selection interview, if applicable ask: Swiss Embassy
Beginning of the scholarship: 1.9.2017
Application documents (Please provide originals plus two sets of copies on A4 paper. Please do not staple the documents and/or put them into plastic folders or binders).
The official FCS 2017-2018 application form (typed and printed). No
handwritten forms will be accepted.
A full curriculum vitae with list of academic publications.
A letter of motivation (max. 2 pages).
A complete research proposal (max. 5 pages), use only the official research proposal form provided with the application package.
A copy of the letter or email from a professor at the chosen Swiss university confirming that they are willing and entitled to supervise the PhD studies.
Include a short CV of your academic host supervisor.
In those cases where the PhD is pursued within a structured doctoral
school, applicants must include in their application a copy of the PhD
admission letter or proof that they are being considered for admission. Without such a document, the application will be rejected.
For EPFL doctoral school candidates: an admission letter from the EPFL doctoral school is required. As this takes time, applicants must plan accordingly and submit their application for admission to the doctoral school well before the scholarship programme deadline. Without those documents the application will be rejected. Photocopies of all certificates and grade sheets from previously attended universities/colleges and diplomas with grades. (If the originals are not in English, French, German or Italian, the copies must be translated into one of these languages and attested.) Attestations can be made by a university
or government officer.Two letters of recommendation from professors in the applicant’s field (use only the official reference form provided with the application package).A health certificate (use only the official health certificate provided with the application package).
Each application set should contain two copies of the applicant’s
passport (main page with personal data).
Contact institution for the application
Questions and application documents should be submitted to the following
address:
Swiss Embassy in Islamabad
Street 06, Diplomatic Enclave, G-5/4, 44000 Islamabad
Email: isl.scholarships@eda.admin.ch
Tel: 0092 51 2279 291
Web: http://www.eda.admin.ch/islamabad