CYD Fellowships 2026 at EPFL in Switzerland
The CYD Fellowships 2026 are cyber-defence research fellowships jointly launched by EPFL and the Cyber-Defence Campus. The programme supports Master Thesis, Doctoral, and Distinguished Postdoctoral fellowships for candidates with strong academic and, where relevant, professional records. The 14th call opened on 3 June 2026, with a deadline of 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST for Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral applications.
Quick Overview
Programme: CYD Fellowships – A Talent Program for Cyber-Defence Research
Opportunity Type: Research Fellowships
Host Organizations: EPFL and Cyber-Defence Campus
Country: Switzerland
Research Area: Cyber-defence, security, and data science
Fellowship Types: Master Thesis, Doctoral, and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships
Deadline: 19 August 2026, 17:00 CEST for Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships
Master Thesis Deadline: Rolling call throughout the year
Application Platform: Online submission platform
About the CYD Fellowships
The CYD Fellowships are designed to promote research and education in cyber-defence. EPFL and the Cyber-Defence Campus jointly launched the programme to support new solutions for major challenges in security and data science.
The fellowships bring together basic and applied research in cyber-defence. Selected fellows are hosted by a higher education institution in Switzerland and conduct their research at the CYD Campus.
The CYD Campus is located on the premises of EPFL and ETHZ and in its office in Thun. It acts as a cyber-competence center focused on identifying and assessing cyber technologies, trends, and usage scenarios.
Fellowship Types
The programme offers three fellowship tracks.
• CYD Master Thesis Fellowships
• CYD Doctoral Fellowships
• CYD Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships
Each fellowship type supports a different academic level. Applicants should select the fellowship category that matches their current academic profile and research plans.
Research Focus
The CYD Fellowships focus on cross-cutting issues in cyber-defence, cyber-security, and data science.
The official pages highlight areas such as:
• Protection of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of cyber and cyber-physical systems
• Information sharing, data fusion, and crowdsourcing
• Data science and AI methods for analysing cyber- and technology-relevant data
• Security, privacy, and digital trust technologies
For Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships, applicants must demonstrate that their project can significantly influence the research fields of security and data science and have significant impact on Swiss cyber-defence.
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CYD Master Thesis Fellowships
The CYD Master Thesis Fellowship provides support for master-level researchers working on cyber-security and data science topics.
The fellowship enables selected fellows to complete a Master thesis at the CYD Campus under the supervision of a professor or supervisor at a higher education institution in Switzerland.
Master Thesis applicants may select one topic from the list defined by the CYD Campus. They may also propose their own thesis topic by selecting “other” on the application platform.
Master Thesis Fellowship Funding
The Master Thesis Fellowship provides support for up to six months.
The funding includes:
✓ Living allowance of CHF 2,500 per month for a maximum duration of six months
✓ Research costs up to CHF 1,500 for specific equipment needed for the project
✓ Possible research and conference costs upon submission of a justified request
For administrative reasons, the allowance is paid as a salary for EPFL students.
CYD Doctoral Fellowships
The CYD Doctoral Fellowship supports doctoral-level researchers working on cyber-defence research.
The fellowship enables selected fellows to complete a PhD thesis at the CYD Campus under the supervision of a professor at a higher education institution in Switzerland.
The fellowship provides salary, research, and conference funds for four years, with a possible one-year extension.
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Doctoral Fellowship Funding
Eligible costs for the Doctoral Fellowship include:
✓ Salary contribution, including social security benefits
✓ Research costs up to CHF 3,000 per year
✓ Conference costs up to CHF 5,000 per year
Research costs are limited to specific equipment needed for the project. They do not cover general IT material.
CYD Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships
The CYD Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship supports researchers at postdoctoral level who want to work on cross-cutting cyber-defence topics.
The fellowship enables fellows to complete a research project at the CYD Campus under the supervision of a professor at a higher education institution in Switzerland.
The fellowship provides salary, research, and conference funds for up to two years.
Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Funding
Eligible costs for the Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship include:
✓ Salary contribution, including social security benefits
✓ Research costs up to CHF 3,000 per year
✓ Conference costs up to CHF 5,000 per year
Research costs are limited to specific equipment needed for the project. General IT material is not included.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility depends on the fellowship type.
For the Master Thesis Fellowship:
• Citizens of any nationality may apply.
• No age restrictions apply.
• Applicants must be enrolled in a Master programme at a higher education institution in Switzerland.
• Applicants must have the endorsement of a professor or supervisor employed at that institution.
For the Doctoral Fellowship:
• Citizens of any nationality may apply.
• No age restrictions apply.
• Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral programme at a Swiss higher education institution.
• Applicants must have the endorsement of a professor employed at that institution for the Stage 2 application.
• Applicants may apply at any time during their doctoral studies.
• Preference is given to applicants who have not yet started their PhD or are at the beginning of their PhD.
For the Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship:
• Citizens of any nationality may apply.
• No age restrictions apply.
• Applicants must have the endorsement of a professor employed at a Swiss higher education institution for the Stage 2 application.
• Applicants must conduct their funded postdoctoral research in a different laboratory from their doctoral and, where applicable, current postdoctoral research.
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Selection Process
The selection process includes two stages.
In Stage 1, submitted applications are evaluated by a CYD Campus internal committee chaired by the Director of the CYD Campus. The evaluation considers the fit of the candidate with the CYD Campus and the fit of the application or pre-proposal with the aims of the programme.
Shortlisted applicants are assigned a prospective CYD Campus mentor. The mentor interviews the applicant and decides whether to endorse the applicant for Stage 2.
For Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral applicants, shortlisted candidates must submit a full research proposal by 1 October 2026 at 17:00 CEST for the 14th call.
Final decisions are made by a committee chaired by the Director of the CYD Campus and composed of 3–5 members representing the CYD Campus and Swiss higher education institutions. Final decisions for the 14th call will be announced by the end of November 2026.
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Application Process
Applicants should review the official application guidelines and the relevant application toolkit before submitting.
The application process includes:
• Choose the appropriate fellowship type.
• Review the official application guidelines.
• Explore the application toolkit for the selected fellowship category.
• Prepare the required documents in English.
• Submit all required documents through the online submission platform.
All required documents must be submitted on the official online submission platform.
Important Dates
14th Call Opened: 3 June 2026
Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Stage 1 Deadline: 19 August 2026, 17:00 CEST
Applicant Workshop: 7 July 2026, 11:00–11:45 CEST
Stage 2 Full Research Proposal Deadline: 1 October 2026, 17:00 CEST
Final Decisions: End of November 2026
Next Call: 3 December 2026
Master Thesis Fellowship: Rolling call throughout the year
Official Link
Submit your application through the official application link below.
