Grant opportunity

EPFL CYD Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships 14th Call

EPFL and the CYD Campus are funding doctoral and distinguished postdoctoral research in cyber-defence, security, privacy, data science and digital trust.

FellowshipCybersecurityPhDPostdoctoralSwitzerlandGlobal
Funder
EPFL / Cyber-Defence Campus
Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST
Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST: Aug 19, 2026
Award
Doctoral salary and research/conference support for four years, extendable by one year; postdoctoral salary and support for up to two years
Applicant
Applicants of any nationality with an outstanding academic record who can be hosted by a Swiss higher-education institution and conduct cyber-defence research at the CYD Campus.
Discipline
Computer Science, Data and Artificial Intelligence
Region
Global / Switzerland
Posted
Jul 29, 2026

Call summary

Overview

The CYD talent programme connects basic and applied research on major cyber-defence challenges.

Who can apply

Applicants may be citizens of any country and must arrange an eligible Swiss host. Excellence and the quality of the proposed cyber-defence research are central selection criteria.

What it supports

  • Security and resilience of cyber and cyber-physical systems.
  • Data science, artificial intelligence and information sharing.
  • Privacy, digital trust and other priority cyber-defence topics.

Funding and duration

  • Doctoral fellows receive salary and research and conference funds for four years, with a possible one-year extension.
  • Distinguished postdoctoral fellows receive salary and research and conference funds for up to two years.

Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST

Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST: Aug 19, 2026

How to apply

Read the relevant fellowship toolkit, secure an eligible host and submit all Stage 1 documents through EPFL's platform by 19 August 2026.

Call details

Source-based overview

The fourteenth CYD call is open to excellent doctoral and distinguished postdoctoral researchers from any nationality. Fellows are hosted by Swiss higher-education institutions and work at the CYD Campus on research that advances cyber-defence, data security, privacy and digital trust.

Eligibility

Applicants may be citizens of any country and must arrange an eligible Swiss host. Excellence and the quality of the proposed cyber-defence research are central selection criteria.

Funding and benefits

Doctoral fellows receive salary and research and conference funds for four years, with a possible one-year extension.

Distinguished postdoctoral fellows receive salary and research and conference funds for up to two years.

Themes and supported activities

Security and resilience of cyber and cyber-physical systems.

Data science, artificial intelligence and information sharing.

Privacy, digital trust and other priority cyber-defence topics.

Deadline and timeline

Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST: Stage 1 applications close 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST: Aug 19, 2026.

Applicants should confirm the exact deadline time, time zone, required documents, portal steps and any institutional approvals on the official call page before submitting.

How to apply

Read the relevant fellowship toolkit, secure an eligible host and submit all Stage 1 documents through EPFL's platform by 19 August 2026.

Before applying, check eligibility rules, budgets, attachments, page limits, partner requirements, cost-share conditions and whether the opportunity uses an expression of interest, full proposal, registration or nomination stage.