Solidarity with Ukraine – assistance increased further

Numerous people forced to flee Ukraine and who are looking for new opportunities are turning to ETH Zurich: Academic Services have received around 200 enquiries to date. In addition, ETH’s internal support group has been contacted more than 250 times via solidarity@ethz.ch. At the same time, more than 40 research groups have already said they are prepared to take on researchers and students from Ukraine. Even though it takes time to process all the enquiries, Ukrainians are already taking advantage of the support packages offered. As part of the emergency aid programme, for example, almost 30 Ukrainians have applied as auditors, and 24 others for a study programme. A further 30 applicants are currently being considered for positions at the university – either as an internship for students or as experienced members of a research group.

Since launching the initial emergency assistance measures, ETH Zurich has also clarified open questions and extended its range of support. All the relevant information is continuously updated on the website Solidarity with Ukraine. Here is an overview of the most important recent developments:

For students

As well as the possibility of registering for free as an auditor or taking advantage of the April application window for a regular Master’s degree programme opened especially for Ukrainian students, the university has also launched an intern programme, “Experience@ETH”. This allows students who have not yet completed their studies to gain work experience in an academic environment as an intern for a standard period of six to twelve months. During this time ETH Zurich will pay them the standard internship salary. Research groups offering internships can apply for financial aid from central funds.

Another option is to apply as an “Invited visiting student”: here students at Bachelor’s or Master’s degree level can complete a research project or thesis and at the same time visit a limited amount of classes, as well as acquiring credits.

By contrast, applying for undergraduate studies is not as easy. As is the case for other Swiss universities, candidates must not only have a knowledge of German, but must also pass an entrance examination for admission to ETH Zurich. ETH Zurich has therefore launched a bridging course as an alternative. Students from Ukraine who have already completed at least one year at a Ukrainian university studying a subject that is also offered at ETH Zurich can already attend courses in the Autumn Semester 2022 (at least ten ECTS credits) and take examinations. The credits accumulated should form the basis for further stages in their academic careers until graduation. To be admitted to the bridging course, in addition to specialist knowledge of the subject in question, candidates must have the necessary German language skills and be eligible for protection status “S”.

To overcome the language barrier, the Language Center of UZH and ETH Zurich also offers a Level A 4-week intensive German course over the summer for people from Ukraine. The course runs from 8 August to 2 September every day: 9.15 a.m. to 12 p.m. for beginners and 2.15 to 5.00 p.m. for slightly more advanced students, as well as two additional courses during the semester (Level A1 and A2).

For researchers

Research groups willing to host Ukrainian researchers should register their details on the two online lists. This will enable candidates to find the relevant offerings:

• external page #ScienceforUkraine
• external page Labs supporting Ukrainian Scientists

ETH Zurich supports the engagement of research groups and has approved subsidiary financial assistance from central funds. This support is available to all research groups willing to offer temporary employment to Ukrainian researchers but requiring financial assistance to do so. Applications must be submitted by 30 June 2022 and will be continuously processed. The department in question is also expected to contribute towards the extra financial burden in their research groups. Professors can apply for financial support from central funds to cover the salary costs of Ukrainian employees with protection status “S”. For the research groups of assistant professors (with or without tenure track), 75% of the salary will be financed from central funds, but only 25% of the salary will be covered in the case of associate and full professors.

Independently of the support provided by ETH Zurich, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has made nine million Swiss francs available for the “Scholars at Risk” programme as well as the recruitment of Ukrainian researchers in ongoing SNSF projects. external page On 11 April 2022 SNSF announced that these special funds had now been exhausted due to the many applications for "Scholars at Risk grants" – including twelve from ETH Zurich. No further applications are therefore possible for "SNSF Scholars at Risk" grants. However, researchers at risk can still register through the regular process at "external page Scholars at Risk”.

General assistance

The “Discovery Semester” programme run by the ETH Students’ Association VSETH helps auditors to settle in at the university and offers general support for refugees:

• To register, go to: external page idil.bekler@discovery-semester.ch
• For any questions or concerns, contact: external page contact@discovery-semester.ch

The collection campaign launched in mid-March by VSETH will continue until Easter at least. More information

The ETH Foundation has allocated additional funds for social stipends for Ukrainian students. Anyone who would like to contribute to these stipends is welcome to do so via the external page ETH Foundation website.