A new postdoctoral fellowship to address grand societal challenges
EPFL is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. Its mission is to provide first-rate education, foster pioneering research, and promote cutting-edge technological innovation.As one of the world’s top technical universities and as a leading actor driving disruptive innovation in Switzerland and beyond, EPFL is playing a critical role in the transition towards a sustainable society. Such transition requires not only new knowledge and technology but also responsible scientific leaders with an ability to think across boundaries, to envision all-encompassing solutions to critical societal problems, and to communicate their research to policymakers. EPFL has been integrating sustainability into the training of Bachelor, Master, and PhD students. The EPFLinnovators4impact programme will go one step further by integrating sustainable innovation into the training of postdoctoral researchers who wish to be part of the next generation of sustainable science leaders. Given that the majority of PhD holders eventually choose to pursue another career path than academia, it is crucial to build their entrepreneurial and leadership skills and to focus on sustainable entrepreneurship for those who have developed the required skills and knowledge to address global sustainability challenges during their PhDs. EPFLinnovators4impact is is intended for experienced researchers who have the ambition and the potential to provide innovative solutions addressing one or several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This innovative programme will provide postdoctoral fellows with funding, training, lab facilities, and expert advice allowing them to develop a novel and impactful product or service. In the course of the programme, they will be able to evaluate the potential for the commercialization of this product or service before founding a startup or licensing intellectual property to an existing company.