CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2025

To promote research and education in cyber-defense, the EPFL and the Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus have jointly launched the "CYD Fellowships – A Talent Program for Cyber-Defence Research". Cyber threats have been accelerating due to the exponential growth of network connectivity. These new capabilities provide myriad opportunities for security hackers to wreak significant damage for commercial, political, or other gains.

Program Description:

The Cyber-Defence (CYD) Fellowships are designed to promote new solutions to major challenges in the fields of security and data science by bringing together basic and applied research in cyber defense. The CYD Fellowships are designed to significantly increase research activities around the security chain by funding talented early-stage researchers in Switzerland. They seek to address some of the most challenging research and translational issues in cyber-defense by bringing together university-based researchers and cyber-defense stakeholders in Switzerland.

Eligibility criteria for the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2025:

• Citizens of any nationality may apply for the CYD Master Thesis Fellowships.
• No age restrictions apply.
• Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a Swiss higher education institution and have the endorsement of a professor employed in this institution willing to supervise them when they submit their Stage 2 application (see below for a description of the application process).
• Applicants may seek the endorsement of a professor employed at a school of applied sciences, but they must provide written confirmation at Stage 2 that they are simultaneously enrolled in a doctoral program at a Swiss university.
• Applicants may request funding for less than four years only if they have already completed the first two years of their doctoral program and the requested funding period coincides with the completion of their PhD thesis.

Application Process:

• In Stage 01, the candidates are required to submit an online application.
• Candidates must submit a pre-proposal to be considered for the Fellowship.
• If selected in Stage 01, the successful candidates are assigned a CYD campus mentor.
• To enter Stage 02, the shortlisted candidates must be endorsed by their assigned mentor.
• Candidates who entered Stage 02 must are required to submit a full research proposal before the submission deadline on 19 September 2025. 

Value of the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2025:

• Salary: The requested salary contribution is based on the salary scale associated with the applicant’s position in the host institution (with a possible one-year extension).
• Research Cost: A maximum amount of CHF 3,000.- per year can be granted for research costs.
• Conference Cost: A maximum amount of CHF 5,000 is awarded yearly for conference costs.