• The Swiss National Research Foundation (FNRS) offers MD-PhD scholarships to physicians appyling for a doctorate in neuroscience, for a PhD in medical science ("MD-PhD") or in science (MD/PhD).
• Scholarship applicants may be occupying a position of research assistant-doctor. In this case, remuneration will amount to 70 % of a clinical assistant-doctor position.
• It is also possible to obtain an MD/PhD scholarship for a three year period within the framework of the federal programme funded by various foundations. Applications must be undertaken with the authorisation of the thesis director and of the MD/PhD committee and must include a research project. Seven to eight scholarships are awarded each year to Swiss medical faculties.
• In both cases of FNRS funding, the amount awarded consists of approximately 60'000 Swiss francs.
• Other grants can be made available by the Faculty of medicine of Geneva for laboratory internships abroad lasting a few weeks as well as for participation in congresses.

To whom should one apply for funding?

Pre Sophie De Seigneux

Fonds national suisse - Bourses MD-PhD 

Finding a host group

• Check out the web pages of the Faculty of medicine related to faculty departments and fundamental, clinical and dental research;
• Contact the group leader or the head of department whose research thematic one is interested in and check whether it is possible to undertake a research project within their group.

Submitting an application file

The candidate who has found a host group and a thesis supervisor may then submit an application file to the scientific committee of the doctorate in medical science "MD-PhD". The committee will rule upon admission to the doctorate. The application file must contain:

• a motivation letter with career plan (max 2 pages)
• a CV + list of publications
• a copy of the diploma of medicine
• UE/AELE diploma : attestation of the Federal Commission MEBEKO assessing the equivalence with the Swiss diploma *
• the title and description of the research project
• a certificate written by the chosen thesis supervisor guaranteeing salary cover and research costs

* https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/fr/home/berufe-im-gesundheitswesen/auslaendische-abschluesse-gesundheitsberufe/diplome-der-medizinalberufe-aus-staaten-der-eu-efta.html

Non UE/AELE diploma:

• a motivation letter with career plan (max 2 pages)
• a summary of the research project (max. 3 pages)
• a CV + list of publications
• a copy of the final examination of medicine
• the full list of exams you passed during your MD program
• the marks received
• the number of teaching hours per each topic
• A dated and signed letter (handwritten signature) indicating "I note that obtaining the MD-PhD title, which is an academic title only, will not give me official recognition of my foreign diploma and will not allow me to practice as an intern in a service of the University Hospitals of Geneva or any other Swiss medical institution or in liberal practice in Switzerland. For obtaining a federal diploma I will refer to the requirements applied by the MEBEKO Medical Professions Commission."
• a certificate of registration in the MEBEKO medical professions register
• a letter from the thesis director indicating:

-  that he accepts the candidate under his direction for the MD-PhD thesis

-  the title of the thesis

-  the composition of the thesis committee

- that a salary is guaranteed for the duration of the thesis

Registration within programme

When the candidate has been accepted within the doctorate in medical science programme:

• He/she will receive a certificate from the scientific committee and will proceed to registering with the students' secretariat of the Faculty of medicine.
• A thesis committee is constituted on the proposal of the thesis supervisor and must be approved by the scientific committee.

End of thesis

When the thesis is coming to a close:

• The thesis committee assesses the personal work of the doctorate student within the framework of the research project, on the basis of the report provided by the thesis supervisor.
• If this personal work is considered satisfactory, the doctorate student submits a thesis manuscript project to the thesis committee.
• Two months at the earliest after submission of this project, an oral examination is conducted by the thesis committee.
• If this examination is successful, the thesis supervisor submits the thesis manuscript to the scientific committee together with a report and a proposal as to the composition of the thesis jury.
• The thesis jury receives the manuscript and provides a report.
• If the report is satisfactory, a date for the defence of the thesis can be agreed upon between the scientific committee and the thesis jury.
• Once the modifications requested by the jury have been brought to the manuscript, the candidate can undergo the public defence of thesis.

Awarding the diploma

• Once all these conditions have been fulfilled, the scientific committee rules on the attribution of the diploma.
• The title of the diploma is: "Doctorate in medical science of the Faculty of medicine ("MD-PhD").