Senior Fellowship

Depending on the length of their visiting position, senior fellows spend between three and ten months at the Collegium. During their fellowship, senior fellows contribute to the academic and artistic program by convening an event to engage in exchange around their work and make new connections in Zurich and beyond.

Eligibility

Applicants are usually tenured or tenure-track faculty at an academic or artistic institution of higher education or research. In outstanding cases, exceptions can be made in case of a demonstrable academic or artistic practice and track record at an international level. For the entire duration of their fellowship at the Collegium Helveticum, the applicants must have an official affiliation with ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich (UZH), or the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) as an academic guest, guest professor, sabbatical visitor, or artist in residence.

About the fellowship

Duration and start date

Senior fellows can spend between a minimum of three to a maximum of ten months at the Collegium, depending on the length of their visiting fellowship at ETH Zurich, UZH, or ZHdK. Senior fellowships usually start either on September 1 or February 1, however exceptions are possible.

Financial support

To support their work at the Collegium, senior fellows will receive an allowance of CHF 1,000 per month during the duration of their fellowship. This allowance is not provided for July and August.

Infrastructure

Senior fellows can make use of the Collegium’s pool desks. They are expected to bring their own laptop but will have access to the ETH Zurich IT infrastructure. They also have access to the library’s digital subscriptions and ETH Zurich’s sports and activities program.

Attendance and participation

During their fellowship, senior fellows are welcome at the Collegium at any time, but must spend at least Thursdays on site. They are obliged to participate in the regular lunch seminars, workshop discussions, and Jours Fixes with other fellows, and organize an event on a topic of their choice—ideally in collaboration with their associate fellow or other fellows. A proposal for this event is part of the application. The fellows are supported by the Collegium staff in organizing the event. The Collegium retains up to CHF 800 per fellowship month of financial support for the event.

Associate fellow

Applicants are asked to submit their application in coordination with an academic partner, which we call associate fellows. This is usually the applicant’s host at ETH Zurich, UZH, or ZHdK, but it can also be another established researcher or artist affiliated with one of the supporting universities. Usually, associate fellows are tenured or tenure-track faculty. If this is not the case, two associate fellows may jointly support a fellow with a co-signed letter of support. One of the co-signers must be a professor or department chair. In justified cases, individuals from the cultural sector, business, or civil society may be appointed as associate fellows by the director.

The academic partner writes a short letter in support of the application for a senior fellowship, detailing why and how they would support the proposed research project in the role of an associate fellow and how they can help the senior fellow build links with Zurich’s universities and art community. Applications can also be submitted with partners from institutions other than the three partner universities, provided there is a valid reason.

Application and evaluation

Applications are reviewed on a competitive basis two times per year. They can be submitted all year round, at the earliest one year and at the latest three months before the start of the planned fellowship. Applications for fellowships starting from September 2024 onwards, can be submitted until June 1, 2024. For fellowships starting from February 2025 onwards, applications can be submitted until December 15, 2024.

Upcoming dates for start of review:

a) June 1, 2024
b) December 15, 2024

Corresponding earliest starting dates of fellowship:

a) September 1, 2024
b) February 1, 2025

The review and evaluation is carried out by the board of directors of the Collegium Helveticum. The evaluation and response to the application usually takes about four weeks. Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online form. Applications via email or postal services will not be considered. If you have any questions about the fellowship program, please contact Deputy Director Mario Wimmer.

Please complete the online form and upload the following documents in PDF format:

• Application form: Please provide personal and project details using this template.
• Letter of support: Letter of support by the associate fellow as outlined in this information letter. Please forward the information letter to your associate fellow. Note, that applicants are responsible for uploading the completed letter as part of their application.
• CV
• Passport or ID card: Copy of the first relevant pages of your passport. EU/EFTA citizens can submit a copy of their ID (front and back).
• Confirmation of status as guest professor / academic guest: Formal confirmation of the appointment as an academic guest or artist in residence at ETH Zurich, UZH, or ZHdK for the duration of the planned fellowship.
• Supplementary information: Supplementary files that the applicants deem necessary.

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