These grants are to support collaborative inter-university cutting-edge research for students with top academic credentials studying towards an engineering degree (with engineering understood as the use of scientific principles for the design, construction or production of physical or virtual structures or systems)*, or towards a degree in all medieval disciplines, as well as towards a degree in digital humanities at the intersection of medieval disciplines and computer or data science.

 

* This definition excludes in particular biology, chemistry, physics, geology, medicine and the life sciences.

 

The grant aims to encourage research collaboration between two universities which must be located in two different countries, namely the home university of the candidate and a hosting university or research institute, one of the two being situated in Switzerland. The grant will contribute to cover local living costs of the candidate while she/he is visiting in person for the entire period the hosting university or research institute exclusively, together with travel costs corresponding to a low-fare economy-class return airfare/train ticket from the home university to the hosting university.

 

Please note that this grant :

• cannot be used, be it directly or indirectly, to cover fees charged by the hosting university to the student (such as tuition, visiting student, hosting, administrative, dossier processing or laboratory fees). To be considered for funding, all applications must therefore include a statement from the director of the hosting laboratory that any fee charged by his/her institution to visiting students will be waived or fully covered by the hosting laboratory. This of course does not concern payments made via the hosting institution for student expenses that are not charged by itself (such as health insurance or visa processing fees);
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• will not be awarded to students enrolled in inter-university degree programs for exchanges between universities that participate in the degree program in question.

 

The Foundation will give no information, justification or reason for its decisions concerning acceptance or rejection of applications. By submitting an application, the applicant implicitly accepts that no reply will be given to such requests.

 

We wish to inform applicants that, due to a significant increase in the number of applications to our fellowship programs, there is a high probability that students whose grade point average is not in the upper tier for their institution(s) of study will not be selected.

 

Stipend duration

Three to six months.

 

 

Grant

A stipend of 1'900, -- Swiss francs per month to defray local living expenses at the hosting university or research institute, plus flat rate economy-class return airfare/train ticket from the home university to the hosting university.

 

If the applicant has other sources of funding:

• for an amount of up to 20% of our grant there won’t be any deduction
• for an amount above of 20 % of the grant, the deduction will be proportional to the other source of funding which exceeds the 20% of our grant
• nevertheless at least 10% of the our original grant will be maintained

 

No other fees and/or university overhead (tuition fees or visiting fees) will be covered.

 

The last installment of the grant (CHF 1'900.-) will be paid only upon receipt of a statement sent directly from the thesis advisor at the home university (the same who signed the project), confirming that the attendance was successfully completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Application procedure

Applicants should send an email to the ZKS Foundation’s email address (info@zenokarlschindler-foundation.ch) with attached the following three files:

 

The first, the “Application form” completely filled in.

 

The second, the "Affidavit" duly completed, dated and signed.

 

The third in single PDF format containing the following documents in that order:

 

• A one page motivation letter with the full address of the candidate.

 

• A one-page resume, including descriptions of the candidate’s education and work experience, plus elementary personal data (date and place of birth, citizenship, marital status, language proficiency).

 

• A three- to four-page description of the proposed research project or of the desired research project including its goals and methodology, relevant references, and ending with the name, address and signature of the thesis advisor at the candidate’s home university.

 

• A one-page statement indicating your grade point average (for Bachelor, Master - up to today if applicant for Master Thesis Grant, PhD - up to today if applicant for Doctoral Exchange Grant), in the units used by your institution, over all courses excluding the thesis grade for each diploma that you have earned or are currently studying towards.

 

• Grade transcripts otherwise known as Transcripts of Records or Mark-sheets of the applicant for all years of higher education.

 

• A scanned email or letter from the hosting professor with her/his address and phone number, confirming that she/he will host, provide guidance to the student for the entire duration of the project, providing any relevant information she/he may wish to contribute concerning funding for the project, and - for OUTGOING students (from Switzerland to other countries) - certifying that any fee charged by his/her institution to visiting students will be waived or fully covered by her/his laboratory.

 

• Recommendation letters are not considered, hence please abstain from sending them to us.

 

 

IF YOUR APPLICATION IS NOT ACCEPTED, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO APPLY A SECOND TIME FOR THE SAME GRANT.

 

Note: in considering the application, the ZKS Foundation may contact the hosting professor.

 

 

Deadlines

Twice a year : March 15 and September 15 of each year, midnight (Swiss time).

 

Retroactive candidacies are only accepted if the stay abroad isn’t finished at the time of the deadline for which the candidacy is presented.