AXA and Schmidt Science Fellowships

• Candidates must have received their doctoral degree (PhD) within a maximum period of 5 years prior to the submission deadline, with demonstrated scientific excellence and high potential for innovation, transformation, and dissemination.
• Candidates must have already defended their doctorate (PhD) before applying for an AXA Fellowship.
• Applicants must be nominated by the institution where they received their doctoral degree (PhD), e.g., ETH Zurich.
• Projects not directly related to the topics of the call are not eligible.

I.          ETH Zurich will select one candidate from all applications received to be nominated for the Axa Research Fund Fellowship.

II.         Axa Research Fund: The expression of interest (EoI) of the nominated candidate will be registered by ETH Zurich on the Axa Portal. If the EoI is selected by the Axa Research Fund, the candidate may submit a full proposal. The Axa Research Fund will assess the full proposal and select successful applications.

The required application documents for the ETH Zurich nomination process are (Step 1):

1. CV (3 pages max). Please include list of publications, birth date, citizenship, date of defense of doctoral degree (PhD), ETH Zurich host professor/institute.
2. Research programme's title and description (3000 characters max, including spaces).

Please submit the application as one PDF file to  by the given deadline of ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich nomination process:

• Step 1: Expression of Interest (EoI) have to be sent to the Grants Office by Wednesday, 10 May 2023, 17:00 Swiss local time.
  

Axa Research Fund selection process:

• Step 2: Between 1 June 2023 - 29 June 2023, 16:00 Paris time: Nominated candidates may be invited to submit their full research proposals and will then receive the necessary information in time to access the application form.
  
• Step 3: Rebuttals are due about 3.5 months after the full proposal submission deadline (29 September - 3 October 2023). Results are announced about 2-3 months after the rebuttal (December 2023).
• Projects selected for funding are expected to start between January 2024 and September 2024.

• Applicants must have completed their graduate degree in the natural sciences (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Sciences), Engineering, Mathematics, or Computer Science – and all sub-disciplines therein.
• Applicants are expected to complete all requirements for the award of their Doctorate (PhD) in one of these fields within the specified time period, e.g., between 15 May 2023 and 30 June 2024 for the 2023 call (i.e., for the 2024 Fellows)
• Applicants must be nominated by the institution where they received their doctoral degree (PhD), e.g., ETH Zurich.
• Applicants are available for the entire period of the 2024 programme, from April 2024 to November 2025, including participation in the Global Meeting Series.

I.          ETH Zurich will select up to seven candidates to be nominated for the Schmidt Science Fellowship.

II.         Schmidt Futures: Nominated candidates may register and submit their full proposal to Schmidt Futures who will decide on the successful applicants/fellows.

The required application documents for the ETH Zurich nomination process are:

1. cover page (1 page; Name of fellowship; applicant name; expected completion date of PhD; name of main doctoral advisor/s and department; brief personal statement that the PhD is on course to be completed between 15 May 2023 and 30 June 2024)
2. your CV (max. 2 pages, incl. publications)
3. your major academic achievements (0.5 page; key research results and any impact they might have had, etc.)
4. current scientific field and the intended extension into a new research field for this program (0.5 page) (note, the extension into a new research field is one of the key assessment criteria of the Schmidt Science Fellowship)
5. explain briefly (0.5 page) why you think you are an ideal candidate for the Fellowship program, especially how you see your research make a lasting impact in the sciences and society.

Submit the application as one PDF file to by 11 April 2023 at 17:00 Swiss local time.

ETH Zurich nomination process:

• Apply by 11 April 2023 (17:00 Swiss local time) to .
• Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the ETH Zurich selection process by 10 May 2023.

Schmidt Futures selection process:

• Nominated candidates must register on the Schmidt Science Fellow online application portal by 1 June 2023.
• The full proposal must be submitted via the Schmidt Science Fellow online application portal by 17 July 2023.
• The candidates will be informed about the result around April/May 2024.