EPFL Doc.Mobility

The grant is available to doctoral students in all disciplines represented at EPFL provided they meet the following conditions:

• have been registered for at least 12 months as a doctoral student
• successfully passed the candidacy exam at the time of the start of the research stay
• not be funded by a project of the Swiss National Research Foundation (SNSF)
• be of Swiss nationality, hold a valid residence permit or a valid cross-border commuter permit, be married to or living in a registered partnership with a Swiss citizen

Travel expenses

EPFL pays a contribution to the beneficiaries and their accompanying family members for a round trip for the entire duration of the fellowship between their usual place of residence (e.g. Switzerland) and their research stay location.

Costs of participation in scientific conferences/congresses/workshops

A maximum amount of CHF 2,000 per year

Research costs

Applicants may apply for a contribution to cover the costs essential for the realisation of their research project, up to a maximum of CHF 3,000 per year, provided that they can prove that the host institution does not provide such benefits.

Tuition fees

Applicants may apply for a subsidy of up to 75%, but not exceeding CHF 15,000 per year, of the tuition fees to be paid to the host institution, provided that they can prove that the host institution has not waived the fees.

Family allowances

EPFL pays beneficiaries with children an allowance of CHF 12,000 per year per child. Allowances for children granted by third parties are deducted from this allowance.

Expenses for family members (spouse, partner) may also be considered up to a maximum of CHF 4,000 per year, provided that these persons accompany the doctoral student during the entire stay. 

Personal living expenses

The grant does not include a contribution to personal living expenses, such as rent in the host country. These must be covered by the EPFL salary that the doctoral students will continue to receive during their mobility stay.

Doctoral students will be registered at EPFL during their stay abroad. Their existing doctoral employment contract at EPFL will remain in force. For the duration of the stay, half of the salary will be covered by the Doc.Mobility grant, while half needs to continue to be covered by their usual funding source.

There are two deadlines per year for the submission of applications. The next deadline for application submission is September 1, 2024 at 17:00h Swiss local time. 

Please note that for the last call, the mobility stay cannot exceed 6 months as the grant can only be used until 30 June 2025, i.e. you must have completed your research stay by this date. After 30 June 2025, federal funds can no longer be used to finance research stays abroad.

Complete applications must be submitted by doctoral students in electronic format via the dedicated Google Form.

Applications must contain the following documents:

• a  CV of two pages maximum
• the transcript of Doctoral School credits
• a project proposal (using the template provided)
• a copy of the last salary slip
• a copy of any financial contribution received from other organisations or institutions related to their thesis
• a letter of support (using the templates provided)
  • by thesis director
  • by academic host abroad
  • by academic institution abroad
• Partnership and/or family certificate, if applicable