Promotion of young researchers
The Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine places particular emphasis on the promotion of young researchers. To this purpose, it offers structured programs designed to meet the diverse needs of young researchers in an interdisciplinary and interprofessional environment. The programs are aimed at excellent and highly motivated young scientists in order to provide them with the necessary freedom to gain further scientific qualifications and conduct research at a top international level.
Clinician scientists are medical doctors who treat patients and at the same time conduct research at an internationally competitive level. They can bring clinical questions into the laboratory or research and recognize the clinical potential of the research results and transfer them into care for the benefit of patients.
This promotion of young talent program of the faculty is designed for a minimum of one year and a maximum of two years and is aimed at exceptionally talented medical doctors and clinically active specialists who want to become clinician scientists (no PhD yet). The Young Clinician Scientist Program gives candidates at the beginning of their career the opportunity to work scientifically during their clinical work. Together with the respective clinic management and a mentor outside the clinic, the career is planned in a targeted manner. They are also given protected time for research.
The program is based on three pillars:
- Planning: Targeted career planning together with the clinic management
- Encourage: Appoint a mentor to accompany your career
- Support: Paid free research time up to max. 20% per year
In principle, clinically active medical doctors and specialists at a teaching and partner hospital of the University of Lucerne are eligible to apply. To be eligible to apply, applicants must be clinically active for at least 80% of their total working hours (at the time of application), have excellent scientific potential (minimum final grade of 5.5 for a doctorate) and have already published at least one scientific paper. Clinical activity must be maintained during the funding period (at least 40% absolute).
The funding application must include the following documents:
- Planned research project (max. 5 pages)
- CV and list of publications, incl. doctoral certificate
- Letter of consent from the responsible clinic director
- Letter of recommendation from the mentor
Applications (combined in one PDF document, either in German or in English) can be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Stefan Boes (research_gmf@unilu.ch).
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the same e-mail.
If the application is approved, the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine will grant up to 20% Protected Research Time in accordance with the SNSF's PhD program.
Next submission deadline: November 9th, 2025
The Advanced Clinician Scientist Program is built on the Young Clinician Scientist Program. This highly selective funding program of the Faculty is designed for a minimum of two years up to a maximum of four years and is aimed at established clinical researchers after their medical specialist education or at clinically active specialists with a correspondingly completed advanced education qualification.
Eligible candidates receive protected time for research and thus have the opportunity to acquire their own research projects and, for example, set up a junior research group or write a habilitation.
Requirements:
- Clinically active medical doctors and specialists with proven scientific potential and employment at a teaching and partner hospital of the University of Lucerne are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must provide evidence of their scientific potential in the form of several publications already published in internationally recognized and peer-reviewed journals and the relevance of their research to clinical activity.
- Applicants must have already completed their PhD and/or have started a habilitation procedure.
- Applicants are clinically active at the time of application (at least 50% of total working hours). The clinical activity must also be maintained during the funding period (at least 20% absolute).
- Applicants must not already have other protected research time.
The funding application must contain the following documents:
- Planned research project (max. 5 pages)
- CV and list of publications, incl. doctoral certificate
- Letter of consent from the responsible clinic director
- Letter of motivation for the intended clinical-scientific career
Applications (combined in one PDF document, either in German or in English) can be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Stefan Boes (research_gmf@unilu.ch).
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the same e-mail.
If the application is approved, the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine will grant up to 20% Protected Research Time in accordance with the SNF postdoctoral program.
Next submission deadline: November 9th, 2025
Further funding opportunities from other institutions can be found here.
