Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarship Programme

The Engineering for Development (E4D) doctoral scholarships promote doctoral research for the benefit of underprivileged people in low-​income countries. It awards two doctoral scholarships per year and promotes innovative projects that are directly relevant for improving the livelihoods of underprivileged people in low-​income countries.

• The grant sum is 175'000 CHF to cover the salary costs of the doctoral students for three years.
• The E4D Programme is generously funded through the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Applicants should have:

• High English proficiency
• • Maximum age: 40 years
• Excellent MSc Degree and high academic performance
• A concrete project idea
• Fulfilled the general entrance requirements for doctoral studies at the ETH Zurich and at the respective department
• Experience in the selected research area.

Preference will be given to citizens of Least Developed Countries and other Low-Income Countries according to the OECD DAC-list classification. The doctoral supervisor must be an ETH Professor and must have a guaranteed ETH position for the entire duration of the proposed project. The research project must be a new doctoral project and the research topic is relevant for improving the livelihoods of underprivileged people. Preference will be given to projects with partners in Least Developed Countries and other Low-Income Countries according to the OECD DAC-list classification.

The application procedure consists of two steps.

First step

• The candidate submits a concept note to the E4D programme office by e-mail to Ms.
• Patricia Heuberger ([email protected]).
• The deadline for submitting concept notes is 30 April 2020.
• Only concept notes fulfilling all indicated requirements will be taken into consideration and will be evaluated by the ETH4D Committee for Exchanges with regard to their suitability for an E4D Scholarship.

Second step

• Candidates whose concept note is accepted by the ETH4D Committee for Exchanges 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. Deadline for submission of full proposals is 31 August 2020.

Concept note 

• Subject of the proposed research is the development of methods, technologies, tools or products, which generate a direct impact for underprivileged people in low-income countries.
• The research topic is within the thematic scope of ETH Zurich.
• The candidate identifies a professor of ETH Zurich who agrees to give him or her support in elaborating the full proposal, if the concept note should be selected, and to supervise the candidate, if the full proposal is selected for funding.