Alfred Werner Fund Masters Scholarships for International Students 2021-2023

The SCS Foundation through its Alfred Werner Fund offers a maximum of ten scholarships of CHF 30’000 each. The Foundation targets international students in the top 10% of their undergraduate programs. Master degree courses in Switzerland are generally given in English, and the tuition fees are minimal.

The SCS Foundation grants scholarships for students to carry out Master of Science (MSc) degree studies in Chemistry or Biochemistry at a Swiss University or at one of the Federal Institutes of Technology. The stipends are granted upon request of the institutions that accepted the students for MSc studies.

The applications are reviewed and ranked by the Alfred Werner Fund Allocation Committee. Eight to ten Alfred Werner scholarships in the amount of CHF 25’000 were granted every year from 2013 to 2020. Starting in 2021 the number of scholarships will be slightly increased and the amount will be CHF 30’000. The program is supported by the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industry as well as by a number of private donors.

The program targets students from foreign countries ranking in the top 10% of their bachelor of science (BSc) programs. The goal of the program is to support talented students to perform their MSc studies in Switzerland.  

The SCS Foundation actively supports the integration of the Alfred Werner Scholars, and also offers visits at the program-supporting industrial partners (“Meet and Greet” Program).

Candidates must apply for admission to a M.Sc. program at a Swiss University or a Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (see Foundation website for contacts), and, at the same time ask for the support of the institution for an Alfred Werner Scholarship.

The Foundation expects to receive the nominations of the different institutions by mid-April 2021. Since the university admission and selection process may take as long as two months, candidates are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. Direct applications of candidates to the Foundation will not be considered.

The members of the Alfred Werner Fund Selection Committee are representatives of the supporting companies, the Swiss Universities and the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology.

Results will be announced by the end of April 2021.

The Alfred Werner Scholars (2013 – )

Since 2013, forty-nine students, twenty-four women and twenty-five men, natives from over thirty countries, were granted an Alfred Werner Scholarship. With the exception of one student, who unfortunately passed away, all scholars successfully completed their studies. Many of them with distinction.

A total of fifteen students are currently enrolled in their MSc study programs. The members of the class of 2018-2020 did already, or will soon finish their studies.

The forty-nine Werner Scholars were (and are being) trained at ETH Zürich (15), the University of Geneva (14), the EPFL Lausanne (10), and the Universities of Zürich (4), Basel (3), Bern (2), and Fribourg (1).

About The SCS Foundation

The foundation promotes and supports activities in the natural sciences, particularly in the field of chemistry and biochemistry. It supports projects in research and education by sponsoring events, granting excellence scholarships or supporting award programs. The SCS Foundation is a non-profit organization without political or religious bias.

To finance its programs and activities, the SCS Foundation maintains two funds, the SCS General Fund and the Alfred Werner Fund. The SCS Foundation is supported through donations from industry and from private donors.

Programs

Alfred Werner Scholarships:  Stipends for highly talented foreign students to pursue MSc studies in chemistry at a Swiss university or one of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology. Up to ten stipends in the amount of 25,000 CHF are granted each year.

Best Presentation Award Program: Awards for the best student poster and oral presentations in any of the sessions of the SCS Fall Meeting. The award program is endowed with 40,000 CHF per year.

SCS Seminars:  Educational programs (seminars, workshops) on topics of joint interest to academia and industrial R&D. An example is the Swiss Summer School (“Villars Summer School”) with lecturers from academia, speakers from industry, and actively involved students (short communications, poster presentations).

For more information:

Visit the SCS Foundation Website for more details