A cotutelle de thèse project or a PhD partnership is conducted on the basis of a formal agreement between a Swiss and a foreign higher education institution and comprises the following:
- a doctoral thesis completed under the direction of two supervisors
- a joint thesis defence or similar, in which both participating higher education institutions are involved
- issue of a joint doctoral degree certificate or two certificates stating that doctoral study was completed either in the scope of a cotutelle de thèse or a PhD partnership
Each year, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) awards funding to cotutelle de thèse projects or PhD partnerships that have been defined in a cooperation agreement between a Swiss higher education institution and a partner institution abroad (Europe and Israel). The allowance of up to CHF 10,000 serves in particular to cover travel and living expenses of the PhD student and the PhD supervisor from the Swiss higher education institution. swissuniversities is responsible for administering the programme.
Applications must be submitted to swissuniversities via the office responsible for cotutelle de thèse projects and/or PhD partnerships at the Swiss higher education institution by 31 March 2025 at the latest.
Important! Some higher education institutions set their own application deadlines. Please contact the responsible office at your institution to verify the deadlines and ensure that you submit your application on time.
Detailed information on the application process and eligibility criteria are available here.