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Are you an entrepreneurial student or researcher at ETH Zürich with a groundbreaking idea? Do you dream of turning your research-based technology or social impact project into a marketable product or service? If so, the ETH Pioneer Fellowship might be your perfect opportunity. This prestigious fellowship program supports the launch of innovative ETH Spin-offs through two distinct incubation tracks: Deep-Tech and Social Impact.
Opportunity Details
The ETH Pioneer Fellowship provides extensive support, including significant funding, entrepreneurial training, and access to ETH infrastructure. Designed for ETH Master’s or Doctoral students and researchers, this program helps market cutting-edge research, fostering the growth of successful spin-off companies. Each year, 5 – 6 Deep-Tech Incubation Pioneer Fellowships are awarded per call to the most promising candidates, enabling them to develop their projects with the guidance and support of their host professors.
Whether your project focuses on advanced technology or aims to make a social impact, the ETH Pioneer Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to transform your ideas into reality. With up to CHF 150,000 in funding and comprehensive support, this fellowship is a launching pad for the next generation of ETH entrepreneurs.
Social Impact Incubation Program
The Pioneer Fellowship Social Impact Incubation Program of ETH Zürich empowers entrepreneurial ETH students and researchers in developing their research-based technologies into viable products and services with a social impact to successfully launch a scalable ETH Spin-off company. The Social Impact Pioneer Fellowship is awarded to projects that serve people living with less than 10 USD per day in low- and middle-income countries. All countries on the OECD DAC List 2024 are eligible (see DownloadOECD DAC-LIST 2024 (PDF, 640 KB)vertical_align_bottom).
1 Social Impact Incubation Pioneer Fellowship is granted per call.
Detailed information about the Program is available here:
The next application deadline is September 1, 2024 (5 pm, Swiss time).
Approximately 4 weeks after the application deadline, the candidates will be informed whether they are invited to an interview.
The interview will take place in person at the ETH Zürich main building.
Social Impact Track interview: October 30, 2024 (8 am - 11 am)
The exact time for the approx. 30 minutes interview will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks beforehand.
Final decisions about acceptance to the Pioneer Fellowship Program will be communicated about 3 months after the application deadline.
Pioneer Fellows receive up to CHF 150’000 for 18 months (12 months for a team of 2 Fellows). In addition, they get coaching, entrepreneurial training, support by your host Professor, access to ETH infrastructure and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Applications for the Pioneer Fellowship will be accepted if the following main criteria are met:
Evaluation criteria
The applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
Interview
The most promising projects are invited to an interview with the evaluation board. The interview takes place in-person at the ETH Zürich. You must reserve about 30 minutes for it.
Collaborators of the project are encouraged to also participate in the interview process.
Social Impact Track: October 30, 2024 (8 am - 11 am)
Before applying, please read the Program Regulations on this website carefully.
The applications must be submitted in the web-based ETH Zurich grant application system ‘eResearch’ .
The steps required for submission are outlined Downloadhere (PDF, 264 KB)vertical_align_bottom.
The application portal closes on Sept 1, 2024 5pm. We recommend you submit your application a couple of days prior to the deadline to ensure proper processing.
The following documents should be submitted as part of the Pioneer Fellowship application. Templates are provided where applicable and must be used.
All documents must be submitted as PDF files(max. 15 MB in total) unless otherwise stated. Please use the following naming conventions for your documents and do not forget to add your family name:
FamilyName_Project_Summary
FamilyName_IP_Situation
FamilyName_Applicant_CV
FamilyName_Co-applicant_CV (if applicable)
FamilyName_Publication_List
FamilyName_Support_Letter
FamilyName_Supplementary_Info
|
Document |
Contents and remarks |
|---|---|
| DownloadProject_Summary (DOCX, 61 KB)vertical_align_bottom |
Detailed project information. See template for details. |
| DownloadIP_Situation (DOCX, 92 KB)vertical_align_bottom |
Detailed information on intellectual property rights. See template for details. |
| Applicant_CV | CV of applicant(s) |
| Publication_List | Please provide a list of relevant publications by the candidate(s) and the ETH host professor supporting the application in one document. (max 1 page) |
| DownloadSupport_Letter (DOCX, 74 KB)vertical_align_bottom |
Letter of support by host professor, stating why and how the applicant/s is/are being supported and how the host professor evaluates the presented project idea. Should include IP clarification. See template for details. |
| Supplementary_Info | if applicable, generate one (1) pdf with ALL supplementary information supporting your application. Do not include the following information: publications, master thesis, patent searches |
| Video_Presentation | a 1 - 2 min video clip of the project including the applicant and your motivation to be submitted as MP4 through Polybox. The applicant should be seen in the Video, no avatar or AI should be used to generate the video. (no acknowledgement of receipt of the transmission). |
Please upload your video presentation as MP4 to the Polybox. The video should not exceed 2 minutes. Generate a link to the video and paste it into the respective field in the eResearch application tool.
Apply here for the ETH Pioneer Fellowship Social Impact Incubation Program
For further information and questions contact [email protected]
Apply for ETH Pioneer Fellowship: Social Impact Incubation Program