Before enrollment, applicants must either already hold or anticipate receiving a university degree that qualifies them for a Ph.D. program at the University of Basel (MSc, Diploma, etc.). In exceptional cases, outstanding students with a BSc degree are also eligible to apply to the “Fellowships for Excellence” program; they however will have to pass additional courses at the Biozentrum after acceptance. Ph.D. students who already have enrolled at the Biozentrum or plan to start their Ph.D. thesis before September 1 of the same year as the open call are not eligible to apply to the “Fellowships for Excellence” program.

Open calls usually start on February 1 and end on June 30. Within that time, candidates can submit an online application https://biped.biozentrum.unibas.ch/excellence/apply.php. For the application, electronic copies of the diploma/MSc degree with grades and transcripts as pdf files, a CV or scientific résumé (maximum one page, pdf format), a description of research interests in general, and one with a specific focus on a potential Ph.D. thesis at the Biozentrum as well as the names and contact information of 2 referees from the candidate’s previous academic environment (usually faculty members) are required. The referees will be contacted automatically and will be asked for an online evaluation as well as a reference letter. Further information about the application procedure will be made available to the candidates upon registration and submission of their application.

After the closing date for the open call, complete applications will be evaluated by all of the group leaders of the Biozentrum. The “Fellowships for Excellence” program committee will identify 20-30 candidates for the next round of evaluation based on the applications and the feedback from their peers. Successful candidates will be shortlisted by the end of July and invited to the Biozentrum for an interview week at the end of August (travel and accommodation provided by the “Fellowships for Excellence” program).

In preparation for this interview week, candidates are expected to think about different research groups of interest in order to organize individual interviews with specific group leaders and lab visits. In addition to these interviews, candidates present their research in a 20-minutes seminar to the “Fellowships for Excellence” committee and other interested group leaders of the Biozentrum, followed by a 10 minute Q&A session. Dinner with the group leaders of the Biozentrum and dinner with the Ph.D. student club - http://phdstudents.biozentrum.unibas.ch/ of the Biozentrum provide further opportunities for interactions and exchange of ideas.

From the 20-30 candidates invited to the interview week, a maximum of 10 will be offered a “Fellowships for Excellence” award immediately at the end of this week. A formal note of acceptance of a fellowship by the candidates is then required by the end of September. Selected fellows are expected to organize their rotations and start with their Ph.D. within six months after acceptance into the program.