Call for applications for the ETH4D Research to Action Grants 2026 is open now!
The ETH4D Research to Action Grant is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact by supporting the practical application, implementation, and dissemination of research outcomes. Hosted by ETH for Development (ETH4D) at ETH Zurich, the grant encourages researchers and students to translate innovative ideas into tangible solutions that address pressing global development challenges.
Despite significant global progress in poverty reduction over recent decades, nearly 800 million people still live in extreme poverty, lacking reliable access to food, clean water, electricity, mobility, and other essential services. At the same time, many low- and middle-income countries are experiencing rapid economic growth, creating opportunities to deploy innovative and scalable solutions. Advances in technologies such as digitization, blockchain, 3D printing, robotics, remote sensing, and renewable energy hold immense promise, yet much of their potential to benefit vulnerable populations remains underutilized.
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ETH4D operates on the principle that universities have a responsibility to ensure technological progress benefits the global population. The Research to Action Grant supports interdisciplinary projects that combine engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, while fostering collaboration between academia, civil society, industry, and policymakers. The focus is on moving beyond theory—supporting prototype development, entrepreneurial exploration, and direct engagement with practitioners in real-world settings.
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The grant provides up to CHF 5,000 for bachelor’s students, master’s students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers, and up to CHF 20,000 for senior scientists and professors. By emphasizing research that is grounded in local contexts and informed by an understanding of human behavior and social systems, ETH4D aims to nurture a new generation of global development leaders capable of designing, implementing, and scaling sustainable innovations.
Through this initiative, ETH4D strengthens the link between knowledge and action, ensuring that academic excellence translates into meaningful improvements in the lives of people facing social and environmental challenges worldwide.
Benefits
- Funding to transform research results into real-world solutions, including prototypes, pilots, and applied interventions
- Grant support of up to CHF 5,000 for students and postdoctoral researchers and up to CHF 20,000 for professors and senior scientists
- Hands-on collaboration with non-academic partners such as NGOs, industry actors, civil society, and policymakers
- Support to explore innovation, entrepreneurship, and scaling pathways for research-driven solutions
- Exposure to interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities
- Enhanced professional and academic profile through applied, impact-oriented research experience
- Platform to disseminate research outcomes to practitioners and stakeholders beyond academia
- Contribution to ETH4D’s mission of using technology and research to advance inclusive and sustainable global development
Eligibilities
- Bachelor’s students, master’s students, doctoral candidates
- Postdoctoral researchers, senior scientists, and professors
- Students must be enrolled at the time project activities are carried out
- A clear institutional link to ETH Zurich (e.g., prior research, coursework, or ETH-related initiatives)
- A demonstrated global development impact that bridges research and practice
- A non-academic partner based in the project’s country of focus
- A letter of support from the non-academic partner
- Compliance with the KPFE Guide for Transboundary Research Partnerships
- Preference for projects in least developed, low-income, and lower-middle-income countries (OECD DAC list)
- Projects outside the DAC list must provide strong justification
Application Process
- Detailed budget (template budget). The activities described in the project description should be accounted for in the budget.
- Single PDF containing the following:
- Project description and objectives (Downloadtemplate project description (DOCX, 16 KB))
- Project work plan and timeline in the form of a Gantt chart
- Letter of support from the non-academic partner or collaborator in the country of focus
- Financial confirmation letter by ETH professor or unit (more details in the criteria document)
- CV of the applicant, including publication list (max. 2 pages)
- One reference letter from within ETH (not necessary for applications from professors)
Application Deadline: March 29, 2026 (55 Days Remaining)
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