Promotion of Young Researchers Supported by Major Donation

ZURICH, October 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Branco Weiss, who died in 2010, has remembered the organization Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship  in his will with a donation of an estimated amount of 100 million Swiss francs. The fellowship belongs to ETH Zurich and supports young researchers throughout the world.

By testation, Dr. Branco Weiss has increased the donation to Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship that he made during his lifetime. With an estimated amount of 100 million Swiss francs, he made sure that the fellowship could continue and expand.

The fellowship offers a generous personal grant of up to five years for researchers shortly after their PhD. The program supports projects throughout the world: fellows can come from anywhere, and are able to conduct their research at any institution. Applicants need to provide evidence of outstanding scientific achievement, outline a compelling research project at the interface between science and society and be prepared to look beyond their own scientific horizon. Society in Science is directed by Prof. Peter Chen, former Vice President of Research at ETH Zurich, and Prof. Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach, long-term rector of ETH.

Prof. Ralph Eichler, president of ETH Zurich, says: "We gain a tremendous power from this fellowship. Society in Science is a unique tool that allows us to test new research fields and meet young, highly talented researchers with a limited institutional downside risk."

Prof. Peter Chen also points out the strategic importance of Society in Science: "Branco Weiss has given us the chance to look into the future. The fellowship gives the ETH a strategic scouting instrument that no other university has."

In its tenth year, the fellowship has already supported 36 researchers, 21 of whom are currently fellows. Applications for the 2013 fellowship are invited starting today with a deadline of February 1, 2013. For more information visit http://www.society-in-science.org

About Society in Science

Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship was founded in 2002 to support young researchers from all over the world shortly after their PhD. The fellowship was initiated by the Swiss entrepreneur and donor Dr. Branco Weiss, who died in 2010. Since 2011 it belongs to the ETH Zurich.