Cooperation in Forest Research Ukraine-Switzerland 

Call for short-term grants in forest research 

This call islaunched by the project Cooperation in Forest Research Ukraine-Switzerland (2025-2028)¹ and directed  to early-career Ukrainian scientists working in the thematic fields of the project (see project website¹).  Specifically, we invite applications from Master and PhD students, postdocs or early-career scientists who are  affiliated with a Ukrainian institution. All applicants must be fluent in English.  

We offer two options for short-term academic grants: 

Option A: Grant for a guest stay of 2-4 weeks in Switzerland  

Option B: Grant to attend a conference in Europe 

The main goal of the grants is to improve the qualifications of the applicants in fields that help them to pursue a  scientific career such as presenting their scientific work, gaining knowledge about research methods, analyzing  data and writing scientific papers. A further goal is to develop ideas about future cooperation projects and topics,  and to move them towards implementation during and beyond the cooperation project. 

Option A: Application for a guest stay of 2-4 weeks in Switzerland 

Applicants can apply for a guest stay at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL² in Birmensdorf or at the BFH  HAFL³ in Zollikofen. The minimum duration of a stay is 2 weeks and the maximum 4 weeks. For each stay, a  responsible host person is designated. He/she will make sure that the guest is well integrated and supervised and he/she will organize the stay supported by the project coordinator Kathrin Streit. Stays need to be planned  well in advance, because getting the working permit from Swiss authorities usually takes 10-12 weeks.  

The grant funds a minimum salary for the guest which covers living costs in Switzerland, the rent of a place to  stay, vouchers for meals in the canteen, and any expenses needed including travel from Ukraine to Switzerland  and related administrative fees (e.g. visa).  

Preparation of your application for a guest stay 

Applicants need to identify a host (see people listed in the project team section of the website¹). The host and  the applicant prepare a proposal (2 pages in English) describing the motivation, planned activities, the intended  start and duration, and anticipated benefits for the cooperation project. The applicant submits the proposal,  his/her CV and language certificates (if available) to Kathrin Streit (Ця електронна адреса захищена від спам-ботів. Вам необхідно увімкнути JavaScript, щоб побачити її.). 

Option B: Application for a grant to attend a conference in Europe 

Applicants can apply for a grant to attend a conference in Europe. The thematic field of the conference should  cover a topic of the Forest Research cooperation such as Forest Ecology, Disturbance dynamics, Forest  Biodiversity, Forest Inventories, Remote Sensing of Forests, Energy Wood etc. (see project website¹).  

The grant funds the conference registration fee, costs for accommodation and the travel to and back from the  conference. Any administrative work (e.g. getting the travel permits or if needed a visa) needs to be taken over  by the applicant.  

Preparation of your application for a guest stay 

Applicants need to identify a person of the research cooperation who is close to thematic field of the applicant  (see people listed in the project team section of the website¹). Then they prepare a proposal of one page together  with the identified person describing the motivation, details about the conference and the presentation they  intend to give, travel information and anticipated benefits for the research cooperation project. A budget  proposal for all the costs involved need to be included too. The applicant submits the proposal, his/her CV and  language certificates (if available) to Kathrin Streit (Ця електронна адреса захищена від спам-ботів. Вам необхідно увімкнути JavaScript, щоб побачити її.). 

¹Cooperation in Forest Research Ukraine-Switzerland: https://www.wsl.ch\ukraine ²Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL: https://www.wsl.ch/ ³BFH HAFL: https://www.bfh.ch/

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Timeline and decision process 

Deadline for application and handing in the proposals is the 15^th of June 2026. The applicants will be informed  about the decision by end of June 2026. The final decision is taken by the project team of the research  cooperation.  

The main criteria for the funding decisions are: 

• Personal motivation of the application 
• Contribution to the goals of the scientific exchange activities formulated above 
• Accordance with the specific requirements of the call 
• Long-term perspective of the applicant to pursue a scientific career 
• Potential for follow-up research cooperation in the thematic fields of cooperation • Availability of the host for supervision 

Contact person 

If you have any questions regarding the call for short-term grant please do not hesitate to contact us: 

Kathrin Streit, WSL 

Ця електронна адреса захищена від спам-ботів. Вам необхідно увімкнути JavaScript, щоб побачити її. 

Birmensdorf, Switzerland, May 2026