Purpose

The purpose of the Dr. Eduard Gübelin Scholarship is to support a student or scientist financially, organizationally, and with the necessary infrastructure so that the proposed research project in the field of geosciences or a related field can be pursued.

Scholarship Provider

The scholarship is provided by the “Dr. Eduard Gübelin Association for the Research and Identification of Gemstones.” This is a non-profit organization based in Lucerne. The association works closely with the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory, which provides administrative support and oversees the selected project/scholarship recipient

Objective

The scholarship is aimed at students/researchers in the fields of geosciences (mineralogy, geology, geochemistry), crystallography, chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, archaeology, biology, and related areas. The selected project proposal must be novel and innovative. The project must explore new avenues and test new concepts and methods to gain new geological insights and thereby advance research in the field of gemology

Requirements

Master’s students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply. A minimum requirement for all applicants is a bachelor’s degree in geosciences, chemistry, physics, materials science, or another natural science discipline. Scholarships are awarded only to individuals, not to companies or institutions. However, applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for projects to be carried out in collaboration with a university or other research institution. Applicants must be no older than 40 years of age. Applications from researchers of all nationalities are welcome.

The scholarship does not establish an employment relationship between the scholarship recipient and the “Dr. Eduard Gübelin Association for the Research and Identification of Gemstones,” the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory, or any other part of the Gübelin Group. Consequently, the association is not obligated to cover social security costs

Scholarship Award

Provided suitable projects are submitted, one scholarship will be awarded per calendar year for one project. The scholarship is awarded to one individual for a single project submitted by them. The selected scholarship recipient will receive formal confirmation that they have been awarded the Dr. Eduard Gübelin Scholarship

Application and Selection Process

Applicants who meet the conditions specified in this document are requested to submit their project proposal using the form provided on the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory website. In addition, each applicant must submit a CV and details of their project proposal

The project proposal may (if deemed advantageous for the project) include a temporary stay at the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory in Lucerne. The applicant will have access to the infrastructure and resources of the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory, including the Gübelin reference stone collection and analytical equipment, and will receive support from the laboratory’s scientists.

The association reviews incoming project applications to ensure they meet administrative requirements and are suitable in terms of their scientific relevance and potential. Applicants whose projects pass this review are contacted to confirm receipt of their application and to confirm their project’s inclusion on the shortlist for the current application period. The association may also contact applicants to clarify any questions regarding their application.

Following this preliminary review, the association will make a pre-selection of the best and most suitable applications according to the criteria specified below. A maximum of five applications will be shortlisted. These will be presented to the members of the scientific committee, who will evaluate the applications and create a corresponding ranking using a scale from 0 (lowest score) to 10 (highest score). For transparency and to avoid potential conflicts of interest among the members of the scientific committee, the highest and lowest scores for each application will not be included in the evaluation. The average score will be calculated from the remaining scores. The project proposal with the highest average score will be awarded the grant. In the event of a tie, the grant will be awarded to the most recent applicant with the highest average score. The decision of the scientific committee is final, and there is no possibility of appeal. After the evaluation and decision-making process by the committee members, the winner will be contacted and informed of the result.

Guidelines

Project proposals must be submitted in English, must not exceed 10,000 characters, and must not contain more than ten illustrations, images, tables, or photographs

Deadlines

The application period for the next scholarship year begins on January 1, 2024. The application deadline is July 31, 2024. The evaluation process and selection of the winning project will be completed by the end of August 2024. The winning project will be announced in September. The funded project must begin within 12 months of this announcement. The project must be completed (including submission of the final report) within 24 months of the announcement and within 18 months of the project start date

Financial

The total annual grant amount is up to CHF 30,000. The recipient of the grant is the applicant who submits the project proposal. This applicant must also make the largest contribution to the project and write the final report. A portion of the grant is paid to the recipient at the start of the project. After deducting the costs and expenses described below, the remaining amount is due upon receipt of the final report.

The available funds are divided into three categories: i) Costs associated with the use of the analytical infrastructure and equipment, as well as the corresponding personnel of the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory (e.g., project-related analyses, supervision and support from analysts, gemologists, or other specialists, or the use of reference stones). These costs amount to a minimum of one-third of the scholarship; ii) Travel and accommodation expenses, as well as costs for the publication and presentation of the project results; and iii) Cash payments made directly to the scholarship recipient. The association is not obligated to cover social security contributions.

The association reserves the right to withdraw a scholarship and demand repayment if:

The scholarship may be withdrawn if the conditions are not met or the association has other good reasons to withdraw the scholarship, if the scholarship was obtained on the basis of false or incomplete information, if the conditions set by the association are not met or not met within the deadlines set by the association, if the scholarship has not been claimed one year after being awarded and no credible reason has been given for this, or if the funds have not been used for the direct, stated purpose.

Obligations

The final report, which the scholarship recipient must prepare for the association, is a mandatory component of the project. A summary of the final report, as well as other important results, will be made available on the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory website.

In addition to this final report, the association also promotes and supports the publication of research articles based on the findings obtained during the funded project. A portion of the available funds can be used to support scientific publications. One example of this is the payment of the fees required to publish the study results in open-source journals. All research publications that use data and information from the funded project must acknowledge the support provided by the association and the scholarship.

The association must be informed in advance of all publications resulting from a funded project. One electronic and three printed copies of each publication containing data or findings from the funded project must be submitted to the association

Intellectual property

The scholarship recipient must sign a written agreement assigning to the association all inventions made by them, either alone or in collaboration with employees of the Gübelin Gemmological Laboratory, during their work on the project, regardless of whether these inventions are protected or not. However, the scholarship recipient receives a lifetime license to use their inventions royalty-free. Such a license is issued solely for the benefit of the scholarship recipient and is not transferable to third parties, including companies controlled by or employed by the scholarship recipient.