The Ernst Hadorn Stiftung Transitional Fellowship 2026 call for applications is now open!
Overview
The Transitional Fellowships in Molecular Life Sciences offered by the Ernst Hadorn Foundation consist of a three-year scheme in which grantees receive funding for up to two years as Postdoctoral Researchers and, in the remaining period, as Principal Investigators (PIs). The goal of these fellowships is to help outstanding postdoctoral researchers conclude postdoctoral research and transition to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions.
In the Postdoc phase, the grantee is granted 100,000 CHF/year, which can be used to cover the grantee’s salary, consumables, equipment, or personnel working under the grantee’s supervision. In the PI phase, the granted amount is a lump sum of 200,000 CHF. The funding in the PI phase is eligible for expenses related to starting an independent laboratory, including consumables, equipment, coworkers’ salaries, and work-related travel. However, the grantee’s own salary for the PI phase must be provided through different funding.
The funding for active grantees will be terminated if they fail to obtain an independent position after the two-year postdoc phase. The PI phase does not necessarily need to be carried out at the University of Zurich (UZH). However, grantees pursuing the PI phase in a different institution must maintain an affiliation with UZH. It is incumbent upon the grantees to negotiate such affiliations with UZH.
Eligibility
Eligibility Criteria And Application Requirements
Eligible applicants must be employed as Postdoc at UZH in the field of molecular life sciences (but not necessarily in the Department of Molecular Life Sciences) at the time of the application deadline. Applicants conducting, or planning to conduct, clinical work alongside basic research will be funded pro rata temporis. Applicants must have published at least one first-author (or co-first-author) paper and must have a competitive profile that will realistically qualify them for an assistant professorship within 48 months.
Applicants who have secured employment as postdocs at UZH but have not started this position by the submission deadline must submit proof of future employment at UZH.
The next application deadline will be on July 31st, 2026.
Application
Required Documents And Submission
Candidates must provide a Curriculum Vitae, a List of Publications, a research plan (maximum 3 pages including figures and tables, excluding references), and a cover letter including career plan (maximum 2 pages).
Two letters of recommendation are required, one of which must be from the current PI under which the candidate is conducting research. The letters can be submitted together with the application documents or sent to Dr. Elena De Cecco via email by the referees.
Formatting requirements are Arial font, minimum 10 pt font size, and minimum 0.5-inch margins. All documents must be submitted in PDF format via email to Dr. Elena De Cecco at apply.weissmannhadornstiftung@gmail.com. There are no specific templates for the documents.
Application Process
Funding
Funding Requirements
The starting date of the fellowship will be negotiated with the Board of Trustees of the Ernst Hadorn Foundation and can be delayed by maximally one year for force majeure upon approval by the Foundation.
After the Postdoc phase, grantees must submit an updated CV and a report detailing the research conducted, the produced publications, and clear milestones in their research and career development. The page limit for the report is 5 pages (Arial font, minimum 10 pt font size, minimum 0.5-inch margins).
The grantees must obtain an independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty position before the start of the 3rd year of the Fellowship. A copy of the official offer letter for a faculty position from the Chairperson or Dean of the institution where the grantee has been recruited is required.
Evaluation
Evaluation Of Applications
The applications will be evaluated by the Board of Trustees and by an independent Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) composed of reputed experts in molecular life sciences. The Board of Trustees may request the opinion of additional peers with specific expertise in the applicants’ fields.
Interviews will be conducted physically in Zurich on October 13th, 2026.
