ECTRIMS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for International Students in Switzerland

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Countries: Candidates from any nationality are eligible to apply.
• Acceptable Course or Subjects: The fellowship will be awarded in Postdoctoral, mentored research.
• Admissible Criteria: To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following criteria:
• Scientists and physicians who hold or are candidates for an MD, PhD, ScD, or equivalent professional degree are eligible.
• Candidates must have received their advanced degrees before initiating the fellowship.
• At the time of application, fellows should have up to one year of prior postdoctoral training at the same host institution/mentor. More senior candidates may have up to five years of postdoctoral experience beyond their final degree (PhD, MD, ScD, or equivalent) at the time of application.
• In general, successful applicants will be less than 40 years of age at the time of application; exceptions under special circumstances will be considered.
• Citizens of any country are eligible to apply to this program. However, postdoctoral research training must be undertaken in a European laboratory or clinic.
• Candidates and their mentors must affirm that no language barriers will impede the training experience.

Offered Benefits

The ECTRIMS will provide all the following study expenses:

• The fellowship will provide an annual stipend of €55,000 for all fellows.
• ECTRIMS will also provide economy transportation from the successful candidate’s home location to and from the training city; travel expenses for family members cannot be provided. Payment from ECTRIMS will be made to the host institution, which will be considered the fellow’s employer. The host institution will pay the fellow stipend according to the institution’s payment policies and schedules. Travel expenses for relocation to the training site can be reimbursed directly to the fellow upon submission of receipts to ECTRIMS.
• The institution must use the ECTRIMS award to pay the fellow’s stipend (salary) at the appropriate institutional rate for the fellow’s stage of training. Should there be any remaining funds, the remainder of the award can be used to support institutional social benefits (health care coverage, pension, and other benefits) that the institution may require.
• Suppose the total stipend plus benefits exceeds the amount provided by the ECTRIMS award. In that case, it is the responsibility of the institution/ mentor to supplement the ECTRIMS award to cover the required costs.
• The expected fellow’s total salary, as well as the expected fellow’s total social benefits costs per year, must be indicated by the host institution.
• Suppose more than the annual or prorated ECTRIMS award is required for the fellow’s total costs (salary plus benefits). In that case, additional funding sources must be listed to cover the total costs. The host institution/mentor is expected to support the research undertaken at the host institution. No additional support for travel, books, journal subscriptions, etc., will be provided.
• Fellows will be expected to attend annual ECTRIMS Congresses during their fellowship term and to present (at a young researcher’s section or elsewhere) on their funded research. ECTRIMS will separately support travel and accommodations for Congress participation.

Application Process

• How to apply: In order to apply for this funding program, applicants are required to register and submit their application through the given link for this postdoctoral research fellowship program.
• Supporting Documents: The students are required to present the following documents to the ECTRIMS:
• Part 1: Provided by the Candidate
• A completed online application is available from the ECTRIMS website (www.ectrims.eu).
• An abbreviated curriculum vitae (CV) and bibliography of the applicant, at most five pages.
• They must use the form “Biographical Sketch” provided by ECTRIMS, available in the online fellowship application system.
• Applicant‡s career plans (not to exceed one page). A research project description to be no longer than six pages, including figures, tables, and references.
• A research project abstract summary to be no longer than 250 words.
• Applicant‡s proof (e.g., certificate) of the training venue‡s local language knowledge.
• Part 2: Supporting Materials Provided Directly to ECTRIMS by Others
• Mentor CV and support letter CV, as well as institutional and referee support letters and forms, are to be submitted separately by the mentor and/or institution as confidential documents to the ECTRIMS Fellowship Administrator.
• Admission Requirements: Applicants must hold a previous degree certificate with excellent marks.
• Language Requirement: Must have English proficiency.