Each year the CH Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to encourage international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (ESKAS).

The programme is managed by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. At USI, Prof. Gonzalez is the academic point of contact for the Swiss Italian part of Switzerland, and the International Relations Service is responsible for supporting and welcoming incoming researchers.

ESKAS is an opportunity to host a researcher in your team for 12 months (research fellows) or up to 36 months (PhD scholarships). Your role it to provide academic supervision and integrate the fellow, thus enhancing the potential for future collaborations.

Applications must be submitted exclusively via the online portal. Applicants should prepare their application in advance, complete the registration process, and submit documents online. Candidates should check the conditions in the relevant application package.

Scholarship awards are decided on the basis of academic and scientific excellence, according to the following criteria:
- Candidate profile
- Quality of the research project or artistic work
- Synergies and potential for future research cooperation