CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2022

To promote research and education in cyber-defence, the EPFL and the Cyber-Defence (CYD) Campus have jointly launched the "CYD Fellowships – A Talent Program for Cyber-Defence Research". Cyber-threats have been accelerating due to the exponential growth of network connectivity. These new capabilities provide myriad opportunities for security hackers to wreak significant damage for commercial, political, or other gains.

Program Descriprion:

The Cyber-Defence (CYD) Fellowships are designed to promote new solutions to major challenges in the fields of security and data science by bringing together basic and applied research in cyber-defence. The CYD Fellowships are designed to significantly increase research activities around the security chain by funding talented early-stage researchers in Switzerland. They seek to address some of the most challenging research and translational issues in cyber-defence by bringing together university-based researchers and cyber-defence stakeholders in Switzerland.

Key goals of this Talent Program for Cyber-Defence Research include:

• Providing enhanced cyber security and privacy solutions, thereby reducing the asymmetry between attackers and defenders in cyber-defence
• Accelerating the development of cyber solutions while taking into consideration the characteristics and needs of the technology industry and the operational ecosystem
• Nurturing the next generation of top researchers in the cyber domain
• Increasing the competitiveness of the Swiss cyber-defence community by leveraging synergies between the partners involved and testing new solutions within the Swiss cyber-defence research ecosystem

Eligibility criteria for the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2022:

• Citizens of any nationality may apply for the CYD Master Thesis Fellowships.
• No age restrictions apply.
• Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at a Swiss higher education institution and have the endorsement of a professor employed in this institution willing to supervise them when they submit their Stage 2 application (see below for a description of the application process).
• Applicants may seek the endorsement of a professor employed at a school of applied sciences, but they must provide written confirmation at Stage 2 that they are simultaneously enrolled in a doctoral program at a Swiss university.
• Applicants may request funding for less than four years only if they have already completed the first two years of their doctoral program and the requested funding period coincides with the completion of their PhD thesis.
• Applicants applying for a CYD fellowship are expected to have excellent grade transcripts.

Additional Documents:

• A letter of motivation is required, explaining why your planned research is original and why you are qualified for the fellowship and briefly describing your research achievements (maximum 2 pages).
• A curriculum vitae is required, including a list of all your publications (if relevant).
• A copy of all your diplomas and grade transcripts is required.
• The name and contact details of two referees are required.
• research proposal describing your research plan and expected milestones.
• the endorsement letter of a professor at a
• Swiss higher education institution willing to host and supervise you.

Benefits of the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2022:

• Salary: The requested salary contribution is based on the salary scale associated with the applicant’s position in the host institution (with a possible one-year extension).
• Research and Conference cost: A maximum amount of CHF 3’000.- per year can be granted for research costs, and a maximum amount of CHF 6’000.- per year can be granted for conference costs (with a possible one-year extension).
• Research Cost: A maximum amount of CHF 1’500.- for the duration of the fellowship can be granted for research costs.
• Overheads: Institutional overhead rates are set at a fixed rate of 15% of overall project costs. This rate takes into account the fact that CYD Doctoral and Postdoctoral fellows benefit from the CYD Campus facilities and receive research and conference funds.

Deadline of the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2021:

The last date to apply for the CYD Doctoral Fellowships 2021 is 15th February 2021.