How to Apply for Swiss Excellence via GO ESKAS

GO ESKAS only — and the supervisor comes first

Applications for 2027–28 are submitted in GO ESKAS (Grants Online). SBFI's at-a-glance page is the official entry: access was published as available from 20 August 2026. Do not send a file by email or on paper. FCS will not process those routes.

Opening day is not the same as your opening day. Country types and country close dates are published on the official SBFI list. SBFI’s A–Z list puts close dates between 6 October and 30 November 2026, at 11:59 pm Swiss time. Poland and Hong Kong only opened on 15 September; Bulgaria opens on 3 November. See the deadlines page for examples.

Files go to Swiss diplomatic representations. FCS then scores three things: the candidate profile, the quality of the research project or artistic work, and the potential for future research cooperation.

The order that actually works

1. 1
   Read your country line on SBFI

   Check which types you may request and the close date for your origin. If art is not listed for your country, do not build an art file. Official list: SBFI A–Z list of countries and territories.

2. 2
   Find the supervisor (research / PhD)

   This can take weeks or months. Neither the ESKAS secretariat nor the universities will do the search for you. Prepare a short CV, a motivation letter, two or three recommendations, and a 2–3 page research sketch before you write the first professor. Full method: find a Swiss supervisor.

3. 3
   Treat PhD admission as a second process

   A support letter is not a matriculation. For an individual doctorate, FCS does not require an admission letter at application time. For a doctoral school, admission is a condition of applying. If the school forbids contacting a supervisor before admission, FCS says an ESKAS application is not possible on that route.

4. 4
   Register in GO ESKAS

   Create the Grants Online account from the official at-a-glance apply link. Download the FCS research-proposal form inside the system. Enter two referee email addresses; the system contacts those professors and asks them to upload the FCS recommendation form.

5. 5
   Submit one complete file

   One host, one type, one research proposal. Incomplete files and formal errors are exclusion criteria. Dual citizens upload both passports. If you already live in Switzerland, upload the permit or registration proof.

Application step tracker

Tick each step as you finish it. Decisions are published by the end of May for a 1 September 2027 start. This is a planning tool, not an official SBFI decision.

What FCS scores