Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (SGES / ESKAS)

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Cohort

Provides research mobility support for foreign early-career researchers in Switzerland through SERI scholarship pathways.

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (SGES) 2027-28 cohort is an annual individual scholarship programme awarded by the Swiss Confederation and administered directly by SERI through the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (ESKAS). The programme supports early-career foreign researchers at postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels to conduct research at Swiss cantonal universities, ETH Zurich, EPFL, or other ETH Domain institutes. Applications for the 2027-28 cohort open on 20 August 2026 for all eligible countries; awards are announced by end of May of the award year. The scholarship is free to apply and covers stipend, tuition fees, and health insurance for the research stay in Switzerland.

The 2027-28 cohort is open to citizens of 183 countries. Applicants must be at postgraduate, PhD, or postdoctoral level — Bachelor and initial Master students are generally ineligible for research scholarships, though a separate art scholarship track exists for Master-level art students in select countries. Applicants must secure a confirmed Swiss academic supervisor at a participating institution before submitting an application. Each country has its own application channel and may have slightly different requirements; applicants contact their national ESKAS channel for country-specific procedures. Applications are submitted through ESKAS, and inquiries may be directed to sgs@sbfi.admin.ch.

Successful SGES applications require a strong research plan aligned with the Swiss supervisor's work, as supervisor acceptance is a prerequisite rather than a formality. Applicants should approach potential Swiss supervisors early, well before the August 20 application opening, since many supervisors receive numerous requests and confirming the relationship takes time. ESKAS country quotas and national-level screening by the home country's channel mean that the competition begins at the national level before Swiss federal evaluation.