CYD Fellowships 2026 offer competitive research funding opportunities in Switzerland for outstanding students and researchers working in cyber-defence, cybersecurity and data science. The programme includes Master Thesis, Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships, with financial support covering living costs, salaries, research and conference expenses depending on the fellowship category.
The CYD Fellowships – A Talent Program for Cyber-Defence Research are jointly launched by EPFL and the Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus to support talented researchers developing solutions to major challenges in cybersecurity, cyber-defence and data science. The programme brings together basic and applied research while providing fellows with access to a specialized cyber research environment in Switzerland.
The 14th call opened on 3 June 2026. Master Thesis and Proof of Concept applications are accepted on a rolling basis, while applications for Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships have a deadline of 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST.
Background & Job Description
The CYD Fellowships are designed for candidates with outstanding academic and, where applicable, professional records who want to pursue research addressing important challenges in cyber-defence.
Fellows are hosted by a higher education institution in Switzerland and conduct research through the CYD Campus, which operates on the premises of EPFL and ETH Zurich as well as at its office in Thun.
The CYD Campus serves as a cyber-competence centre focused on identifying and assessing emerging technologies, commercial and social cyber trends, and potential usage scenarios.
The programme offers three principal fellowship routes:
- CYD Master Thesis Fellowship — six months of living allowance and research funding.
- CYD Doctoral Fellowship — salary plus research and conference funding for four years, with a possible one-year extension.
- CYD Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship — salary plus research and conference funding for up to two years.
The programme is highly competitive, with excellence in academic records and professional accomplishments identified as a primary evaluation criterion.
Tasks
Successful fellows will conduct research in cyber-defence and related areas of security and data science.
Depending on the fellowship level and research project, activities may include:
- Conducting research addressing cyber-defence challenges.
- Developing new approaches to cybersecurity and data science.
- Undertaking basic or applied research.
- Investigating emerging cyber technologies and trends.
- Working within Switzerland’s cyber-research ecosystem.
- Developing research outputs relevant to cyber-defence.
- Participating in research and academic activities connected to the host institution.
- Building expertise in areas relevant to the future of cybersecurity.
The fellowship structure is intended to bring together talented researchers and institutions working on solutions to significant challenges in cyber-defence.
Qualifications
Education and Certification
The source specifies that CYD Fellowships are intended for candidates with an outstanding academic track record. Applicants are expected to demonstrate excellent academic performance, including strong grade transcripts.
The available opportunities correspond to different stages of an academic research career:
Master’s students: The CYD Master Thesis Fellowship provides six months of living allowance and research funds.
Doctoral researchers: The CYD Doctoral Fellowship provides salary, research funding and conference funds for four years, with a possible one-year extension.
Postdoctoral researchers: The CYD Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship provides salary, research funding and conference funds for up to two years.
Applicants should carefully review the relevant application toolkit because the supplied information does not provide the complete discipline-specific eligibility requirements for each fellowship category.
Experience
The programme emphasizes academic excellence as the primary evaluation criterion. Candidates applying for CYD Fellowships are expected to have excellent academic records and, where applicable, a strong professional track record.
Because the programme focuses specifically on cyber-defence research, applicants should ensure that their proposed research and academic background are relevant to cybersecurity, security, data science or related areas.
Additional Information
Funding and Benefits
The funding package depends on the fellowship category.
Master Thesis Fellows receive a living allowance and research funds for six months.
Doctoral Fellows receive a salary, research funding and conference funds for four years, with the possibility of a one-year extension.
Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows receive a salary, research funding and conference funds for up to two years.
This makes the programme particularly relevant to researchers seeking financial support while developing cyber-defence research at a Swiss higher education institution.
Application Deadline
The 14th CYD Fellowship call opened on 3 June 2026.
Applications for the Master Thesis Fellowship are accepted through a rolling call throughout the year.
For Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Stage 1 submission deadline is:
19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST
The next, 15th call is scheduled to open on 3 December 2026.
Application Process
Applicants should carefully review the official application toolkit before preparing their submissions. Separate toolkits are provided for Master Thesis Fellowship applications and for Doctoral and Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship applications.
Applications are submitted through the online EPFL research funding platform.
Candidates should ensure that their application clearly demonstrates their academic excellence and explains how their proposed research fits the objectives of the CYD Fellowships and the broader field of cyber-defence.
An online applicant workshop was also scheduled for July 2026 to provide additional information about the application process.
Why Consider the CYD Fellowships?
The CYD Fellowships provide an opportunity to develop specialized expertise in one of the world’s increasingly important research areas: cyber-defence.
For doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, the programme can provide multi-year financial support while allowing them to conduct research within a dedicated cyber-competence environment. Master’s students can also use the fellowship to support research connected to their thesis.
The combination of academic research, cyber-defence expertise and access to a specialized research environment makes the programme particularly relevant to students and researchers planning careers in cybersecurity, cyber-defence, data science and related technology fields.
Applicants should verify the complete eligibility criteria, required documents and current application instructions in the official fellowship toolkit before submitting an application.
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