Get Up to 10,000 CHF for a Research Stay at ETH Zurich: The ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants 2026 (Mentorship Grant)

There are plenty of funding opportunities that promise “capacity building” and deliver… a webinar series and a handshake. The ETH4D Doctoral Mentorship Grants 2026 are not that.

This programme is refreshingly concrete: it pairs a doctoral candidate (or, in some cases, a master’s student on a pre-doc trajectory) with an ETH Zurich mentor for a full year, and it pays for what actually moves research forward—time with an experienced researcher, structured goals, and a 1–3 month research stay in Zurich. Not forever. Not a vague “sometime in the future.” A real visit, on a real timeline, with money attached.

And yes, we should talk about that money. The grant covers expenses up to 10,000 CHF. In Switzerland—where a sandwich can feel like a line item in a national budget—that cap matters. ETH4D’s package is designed to take the sting out of the big costs (flights, accommodation, local transport, visa fees) and keep you focused on the work rather than on financial gymnastics.

If you’re a researcher based in a least-developed, low-income, or lower-middle-income country (specifically: countries on the DAC list of ODA recipients, excluding upper-middle-income countries), this is the kind of opportunity that can compress years of slow progress into one productive year. Mentorship that produces a conference presentation. A joint paper. A stronger doctoral project. A network that doesn’t disappear after the closing ceremony.

The catch? It’s competitive, and it’s administratively precise. But if you can handle a structured application, the payoff is substantial—and unusually practical.

Key Details at a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers (And Why It’s More Than a Plane Ticket)

At its core, this programme is built around a simple idea: research talent is everywhere, but access is not. ETH4D tries to narrow that gap with a mentorship model that’s structured enough to create outcomes, without micromanaging your science.

First, you get one year of mentorship from an ETH Zurich professor, senior scientist, or postdoc. ETH4D suggests monthly meetings and clearly defined project goals—think tangible milestones like submitting a conference abstract, drafting a manuscript, refining a methodology, or pressure-testing your research questions with someone who has seen a few hundred proposals come and go. The mentor may join the doctoral committee if appropriate, but it’s not required. In other words: the programme encourages seriousness without turning the relationship into a bureaucratic marriage.

Second, you get a 1–3 month research stay at ETH Zurich during the mentorship period. This is where the programme can become rocket fuel. A short stay, done well, can mean access to equipment you can’t get at home, direct collaboration with a research group that’s publishing at high velocity, or simply uninterrupted time in an environment designed for deep work (plus the small thrill of being around people who complain about their experiments the way athletes complain about weather).

Third, the money is aimed at real expenses—up to 10,000 CHF, including an economy roundtrip flight (with a stated maximum), accommodation, local transport, visa fees, and a 850 CHF/month living allowance during the stay. ETH4D may also support research materials and conference attendance if relevant. It’s not a salary. It’s not meant to bankroll an entire project. It’s meant to make the mentorship and mobility feasible—especially for researchers who would otherwise have to decline an invitation because the numbers don’t work.

One important nuance: health insurance is self-organised. Don’t ignore that line. Switzerland takes insurance seriously, and you should too.

Who Should Apply (Eligibility, Explained Like a Human Being)

This programme has two key actors: the ETH host and the mentee.

On the host side, ETH professors can receive funding to host a student. If the professor isn’t currently an ETH4D member, they’ll need to become one upon receiving the grant. Practically, this means you’ll need an ETH-based academic who isn’t just friendly, but willing to be officially involved—writing a support letter, planning activities, and hosting you during the stay.

On the mentee side, eligible applicants are doctoral candidates and master’s students registered at a university or research institute in a country listed on the DAC list of ODA recipients, excluding upper-middle-income countries. The summary text highlights least-developed, low-income, and lower-middle-income countries—which, for many readers, will map closely to parts of Africa and beyond (and yes, the opportunity is tagged “Africa,” but the eligibility framing is broader than a single continent). The key is the DAC list classification at the time you apply.

So who is this really for?

If you’re a doctoral candidate with a solid topic but you’re missing one of the following—methodological support, access to a research group working at your frontier, publication coaching, or a stronger international network—this programme fits like a glove. It’s particularly helpful if you’re at the stage where you can say, “Here’s my research question, here’s my data plan, and here’s what I need from ETH Zurich to make this sharper and publishable.”

If you’re a master’s student aiming for a PhD (the programme mentions “pre-doc applications”), this can be a strategic stepping stone. But you’ll need to convincingly explain how the mentorship and short stay will position you for doctoral study—skills you’ll gain, research direction you’ll solidify, and how you’ll turn the experience into a credible PhD application.

One more real-world note: applicants from certain countries may face a security screening prior to arrival. ETH4D doesn’t run that process. Translation: plan early, avoid last-minute travel timelines, and keep your documentation immaculate.

Understanding the Mentorship Year: What You Should Build It Around

The mentorship year shouldn’t be “we’ll meet and see what happens.” ETH4D practically begs you not to do that by nudging monthly meetings and defined goals.

A strong mentorship plan usually centers on three pillars:

1. Research clarity: tightening the core question, refining hypotheses, and making sure your methods can actually answer what you’re asking.
2. Output discipline: choosing one or two concrete outcomes—conference abstract, manuscript draft, preprint, dataset documentation, methods paper—and driving toward them.
3. Network and continuity: building relationships inside the ETH group so the collaboration survives after you fly home.

Think of the research stay as the “intensive sprint,” and the rest of the year as the training block that makes the sprint count.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application (The Stuff People Learn the Hard Way)

1) Choose a host for fit, not prestige

ETH Zurich has plenty of famous names. Famous isn’t always available, attentive, or aligned with your needs. A senior scientist or postdoc mentor who is active in your niche and genuinely eager to work with you can outperform a big-name professor who schedules you for “sometime in Q4.”

Your application will read stronger if the planned activities are specific: lab meetings you’ll join, methods you’ll learn, datasets you’ll work with, writing support you’ll receive, and how that connects to your doctoral work.

2) Treat the budget like a credibility test

The grant covers expenses up to 10,000 CHF, but you still need to show you can plan like a researcher, not like a hopeful tourist.

Use the template carefully. Make sure your numbers tell the same story as your work plan. If you propose a 3-month stay, your accommodation and living allowance need to match that. If you mention conference attendance, name the conference (even if tentative) and show realistic costs. Reviewers don’t need perfect forecasts—they need to see you’re not guessing.

3) Build a “monthly meeting” plan that doesn’t waste months

A year disappears fast. Write a simple cadence into your work plan: month-by-month themes (e.g., Month 1: refine research question and methods; Month 2: ethics/approvals/data plan; Months 3–4: analysis training; Month 5: draft abstract; etc.). It signals you’ll use mentorship time well.

Bonus: it makes it easier for your ETH mentor to say yes, because you’re not handing them a blank calendar.

4) Make your research stay do one big thing exceptionally well

A 1–3 month stay can’t fix everything. Pick a primary objective that ETH Zurich is uniquely positioned to support. That could be advanced lab techniques, a specific modeling approach, access to a particular facility, or concentrated writing with high-quality feedback.

One crisp objective beats five vague ones every time.

5) Write the motivation letter like a scientist, not a fan

You have 3,000 characters (excluding spaces)—not a novel. Use that space to connect three dots: where you are now, what you will do during the mentorship/stay, and what measurable outcome you’ll produce afterward.

Yes, be personal. But keep it grounded. Your reader should be able to summarize your plan in one sentence without improvising.

6) Make the support letters specific enough to feel “lived in”

Generic letters are the silent killer of good applications. Your academic reference should speak to your research ability with examples (independence, writing, data skills, perseverance). Your ETH host letter should outline planned activities, confirm willingness to host, and mention any financial or in-kind contributions if applicable.

Specificity reads like truth.

7) Plan for logistics early (visa, insurance, security screening)

This isn’t romantic advice; it’s survival advice. Your timeline should acknowledge visa lead times and insurance arrangements. If a security screening might apply to you, build buffer time. Reviewers like applicants who won’t collapse at the first administrative hurdle.

Application Timeline (Working Backward From March 30, 2026)

If you want a calm application process (calm-ish, at least), start early. A reasonable plan:

By mid-March 2026, you should be polishing, not drafting. That’s when you verify your single PDF is correctly assembled, the budget template is filled without contradictions, and your letters are already in motion. Aim to have everything essentially finished by March 15, giving you two weeks for revisions, formatting, and unexpected issues.

By February 2026, lock your mentorship plan: confirm the ETH host’s commitment, agree on a tentative stay window (even if flexible), and outline monthly meeting goals. This is also when you should request transcripts and finalize your CV and project description. Universities are rarely fast when you suddenly need documents.

By January 2026, you should be in “content building” mode: refining the project description, drafting the motivation letter, and creating the Gantt chart. If you wait until February to start writing, you’ll end up submitting something that looks rushed—which is a shame, because the programme is designed for people who can plan.

Required Materials (And How to Prepare Them Without Losing Your Mind)

ETH4D asks for a structured package. Expect to submit:

• Completed electronic application form (start here; it reveals what the programme cares about).
• Detailed budget using the provided template (don’t freestyle this).
• Letters of support submitted via email directly from the authors to the ETH4D Programme Manager at [email protected]. This includes:
  • One academic reference letter
  • Support letter from the hosting ETH professor (including planned activities and any financial or in-kind contributions, if applicable; and for pre-doc/master’s applicants, how the stay supports future doctoral study)
• One single PDF containing the rest of the project documents, typically including:
  • Project description
  • Work plan and timeframe as a Gantt chart
  • Motivation letter (3,000 characters excluding spaces; formatting requirements apply)
  • University transcripts
  • CV (max 2 pages, including publications)
  • Doctoral project proposal (if available)

Preparation tip: build a simple checklist and name your files consistently. Reviewers may be brilliant researchers, but they’re still human—clarity helps them help you.

What Makes an Application Stand Out (What Reviewers Are Really Buying)

Reviewers are effectively investing in a one-year collaboration. They want to see:

A mentorship relationship that will actually happen. The ETH host letter matters because it signals seriousness and feasibility. If the planned activities sound realistic and tailored—rather than copy-pasted—the application immediately rises.

A project with momentum. You don’t need to have everything solved, but you should show that your work is already moving. A clear research question, a sensible method, and an explanation of what the ETH stay enables (and why you can’t easily do that part at home) makes your case.

A credible plan for outcomes. Outputs can be varied: a manuscript draft, a conference presentation, a refined dissertation proposal, a method mastered and documented. The best applications don’t promise the moon; they promise something real and finishable.

A budget that matches reality. Switzerland is expensive. If your accommodation line looks like it was calculated for a different planet, it raises doubts about planning ability.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Vague goals like “collaboration” and “capacity building.”
Fix: name concrete outputs and define what “success” looks like at Month 3, Month 6, and Month 12.

Mistake 2: A research stay with no clear purpose.
Fix: tie the stay to one or two activities that require ETH Zurich’s environment—specialized equipment, direct work with a specific group, intensive training, or concentrated writing with mentorship.

Mistake 3: Weak coordination with the ETH host.
Fix: co-design the work plan. If your mentor letter and your project plan feel like they were written by strangers, reviewers notice.

Mistake 4: Treating the motivation letter like a biography.
Fix: keep it tight: your research problem, what you’ll do, why ETH, what you’ll produce, what happens after.

Mistake 5: Last-minute letters of support.
Fix: give letter writers at least 3–4 weeks, plus reminders. And send them a short “bullet brief” of what the programme is and what you want them to emphasize.

Mistake 6: Ignoring logistics (insurance, visa timing).
Fix: mention practical planning in your timeline. It signals maturity and reduces perceived risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is this a scholarship, a grant, or a fellowship?

It functions as a mentorship grant with mobility funding. You’re not being hired by ETH Zurich; you’re being supported to complete a mentorship year and a short research stay.

2) Can master’s students apply?

Yes, eligible master’s students can apply (often framed as pre-doc). You’ll need to explain your plan to pursue a PhD and how this mentorship supports that transition.

3) Do I need to already have an ETH Zurich host?

Yes—practically speaking, you need a hosting ETH professor who will submit a support letter and host you during the stay. Start outreach early and approach potential hosts with a clear one-page idea summary.

4) How long is the research stay in Switzerland?

The programme indicates 1 to 3 months, taking place during the one-year mentorship period.

5) What costs are covered?

Up to 10,000 CHF for eligible expenses such as economy roundtrip travel (with a cap), accommodation, living allowance during the stay, visa fees, local transport, and potentially research materials or conference attendance if applicable. Health insurance is not provided; you arrange it yourself.

6) Do I need a full doctoral proposal to apply?

If you have a doctoral project proposal, include it. If not, your project description and work plan become even more important—make them clear and complete.

7) What is the DAC list and why does it matter?

DAC ODA recipient lists are used to define which countries qualify based on development assistance categories. ETH4D uses this list for eligibility, excluding upper-middle-income countries. Check your country’s current status before investing in the application.

8) What about security screening?

For some countries, a security screening may be required prior to arrival. ETH4D does not manage that process, so plan for extra time and keep your documentation ready.

How to Apply (A Practical Checklist for the Final Two Weeks)

Two weeks before the deadline, your mission is simple: make it easy for reviewers to say yes.

First, confirm your ETH host support letter is in progress and that the professor understands they must include planned activities and any contributions (if any). If you’re a pre-doc applicant, make sure the letter explicitly addresses how the stay supports future doctoral study.

Second, secure your academic reference letter and remind the referee that it must be emailed directly to ETH4D. Don’t assume they’ll remember the address or the deadline—send a polite, clean reminder with the exact instructions.

Third, assemble your single PDF with the project description, Gantt chart, motivation letter (meeting the character and formatting requirements), transcripts, and CV. Then read it once as if you were a reviewer who has 12 minutes and a cup of coffee. If anything is confusing, fix it.

Finally, submit via the official application page and keep proof of submission. Administrative errors are a painfully common way to lose a great opportunity.

Apply Now and Read the Full Official Details

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page here: https://eth4d.ethz.ch/funding-opportunities/ETH4D-exchange-grants/ETH4D-doctoral-mentorship-programme/application-form–eth4d-mentorship-programme.html

If you’re coordinating letters of support, note that they are submitted via email directly to the ETH4D Programme Manager: [email protected].

Mark the deadline—March 30, 2026—and give yourself the gift of time. This is a tough grant to get, but absolutely worth the effort if you’re serious about turning mentorship into measurable research progress.