The SAMS with the support of private foundations and, until 2024, with the SNSF, has been awarding each year since 1992 a limited number of competitive MD-PhD grants. The aim of the program is to equip medical doctors interested in research with the skills necessary for a career as clinician-scientist. Thanks to new partnerships with foundations and participating faculties, the national program will be pursued. The details of the call 2025, with revised regulations and evaluation procedure, will be published here until mid-February.
MD-PhD grants enable particularly talented young physicians to complete a doctoral research training in natural sciences, public health sciences, clinical research or biomedical ethics at a Swiss university associated with the national MD-PhD program. Grants can be awarded for a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 3 years. The synopsis (see below) gives an overview of past grantees.
Participation requirements
Applicants must have successfully completed their studies in human, veterinary or dental medicine and be admitted as doctoral students in one of the local MD-PhD programs of a university associated with the National Grants Program by the time of the grant start.
The complete participation requirements, evaluation criteria and revised program regulations will be published here by mid-February.
Call for proposals 2025
The next call for proposals will be launched mid-February 2025. Details will be published here, via our newsletter and in our Bulletin.
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Funders involved in the program so far
in alphabetical order
Dementia Research Switzerland – Synapsis Foundation (SSS)
Monique Dornonville de la Cour Foundation (MDC)
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS)
Swiss Cancer Research (KFS)
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Théodore Ott Fund (SAMS)
Zinkernagel Research Foundation (FSZ)
The Swiss School of Public Health provides ideational support to the national grants program.
Career trajectories of MD-PhD grantees
We conducted a survey of former MD-PhD grantees to assess whether the national MD-PhD program is reaching its goals and paving the way for a career as physician-scientist. The data collected suggest that this is indeed the case: eight years or more after completing their MD-PhD – when most grantees have accessed a stable position – 55% hold a paid position in research, 64% continue their scientific activity in a university hospital and 25% are professors.
Our analysis further shows that the program supports talented young physicians, the majority of whom reach leadership positions and maintain strong links with research and clinical practice throughout their careers.
The full study on the career trajectories of grant recipients of the national MD-PhD program since its creation in 1992 is published in Swiss Medical Weekly.
Downloads and links
National MD-PhD grants program old regulations (until 2024)
National MD-PhD Evaluation Committee (in German)