ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants 2026

ETH for Development (ETH4D) is currently accepting applications for its Doctoral Mentorship Grants 2026. This program provides funding to mentor doctoral candidates and master's students from least-developed, low- and lower-middle-income countries.

🌟 About ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants

ETH4D offers grants to support mentoring doctoral and master's students from eligible countries. The program aims to foster academic collaboration and development.

Sponsor Organization

ETH for Development - ETH4D

🎁 Benefits of ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants

The grant covers expenses up to a maximum of 10,000 CHF and includes the following:

• Economy roundtrip ticket (max. 1.5 kCHF) to and from Switzerland for the research stay.
• Accommodation.
• Living allowance of 850 CHF per month for the duration of the research stay at ETH Zurich (paid in cash by the host professorship).
• Visa fees.
• Health insurance (self-organized).
• Local transport in Zurich.
• If applicable:
  • Research materials.
  • Conference attendance.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• ETH Professors are eligible to receive funding to host a student. Professors who are not currently members of ETH4D must become members upon receiving a grant.
• Eligible mentees are doctoral candidates and master’s students registered at a university or research institute in countries listed in the current DAC-list of ODA recipients, excluding upper-middle-income countries.
• For students from certain countries, a security screening may be required prior to arrival. ETH4D is not involved in this process.

📝 Application Process

Required Documents:

1. Completed electronic application form.
2. Detailed budget using the provided template.
3. Letters of support submitted via email directly to the ETH4D Programme Manager (francis.baranyk@nadel.ethz.ch):
   • One academic reference letter.
   • Support letter from the hosting ETH professor, including:
     • Statement of any financial or in-kind contributions, if applicable.
     • Interest in hosting the candidate and planned activities within the group.
     • For pre-doc applications, the professor should describe how the stay will facilitate future doctoral studies.
4. Submission of all other project documents in a single PDF:
   • Project description (see requirements).
   • Work plan and timeframe of the mentorship, including planned activities (Gantt Chart format).
   • Motivation letter of the doctoral candidate or master’s student (3,000 characters, Arial, size 11, line pitch 1.15).
     • Master’s students should describe their plans for applying to a PhD after the pre-doc mentorship.
   • University transcripts.
   • CV of the doctoral candidate or master’s student (max. 2 pages, including publications).
   • Doctoral project proposal (if available).

📅 Application Deadline

30 March, 2026

🔗 Application Portal

• View details of the ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants.
• Apply for the ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants.

For further inquiries, contact the ETH4D Programme Manager at francis.baranyk@nadel.ethz.ch.

• Covers expenses up to a maximum of 10k CHF.
• Economy roundtrip ticket (max. 1.5 kCHF) to and from Switzerland for the research stay.
• Accommodation.
• Living allowance of 850 CHF per month for the duration of the research stay at ETH Zurich.
• Visa fees.
• Health insurance (self-organised).
• Local transport in Zurich.
• If applicable: Research materials, Conference attendance.