The EPFLglobaLeaders targets outstanding PhD candidates from all over the world with the potential to become leaders in the transition towards sustainable societies and to bring solutions to global challenges. The programme identifies and supports talented early-stage researchers (ESR) of any nationality with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) who fulfil the MSCA requirements and who have the ambition to carry out ground-breaking research delivering direct benefits to society. By training the next generation of responsible engineers and research leaders, able the address the most pressing challenges of our planet, the programme reinforces the development of human resources and capacity building at the international, national, and regional level.
As part of the application process, candidates had to submit a research project related to sustainability, particularly within the content of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Applications were evaluated – among other – on the project’s impact at societal level. The interdisciplinary projects selected cover a wide range of research areas (e.g. basic sciences, engineering, computer science, architecture, life sciences) as well as relate to 17 (out of the 22) doctoral programmes at the EPFL. As of April 2023, the majority of fellows are in their first or second year of their PhD studies. It is still thus early in the fellows’ studies to evaluate the achievement of their research project’s objectives and results. Nevertheless, the EPFLglobaLeaders PhD fellows have generally demonstrated to be excellent PhD candidates and have started to already publish some scientific papers.
Furthermore, EPFL’s excellence in research makes it an outstanding place for 'EPFLglobaLeaders' PhD candidates to interact with internationally renowned researchers and to work with state-of-the-art lab equipment. They can benefit from the top-level, interdisciplinary research environment of the EPFL campuses as well as from its cutting-edge infrastructure and numerous national and international research collaborations.
A number of fellows have also already started their mandatory secondment in the non-academic sector (min. 3 months, max. 12 months), which is an essential and integral component of the fellowship. Thanks to the secondment, they have benefited from the additional expertise and knowledge of the non-academic partner and learnt about new, intersectoral approaches towards research and innovation. The secondment also allows researchers, at an early stage of their career, to experience and explore different career options as well as to build a well-rounded professional profile.
A number of networking events and thematic workshops have also been organised (or are planned), although this aspect will be further strengthened now that all fellows have started. This includes, for instance, a workshop on sustainability led by the Sustainability Coach at EPFL in June 2023 and an Open Science session with the EPF Library planned in November 2023. From the fellows’ annual reports, it already transpires that one of the most attractive elements of the programme is the opportunity for networking with other fellows (including other MSCA COFUND EPFL programmes), notably fellows from other disciplines.
