UN-ETH Incubator
The UN-ETH Incubator facilitates the formation of new project-based collaborations between UN teams and ETH Zurich research groups that address global challenges and create positive societal impact. The Call for Proposals for the UN-ETH Incubator 2026 opens 7 May and ends 5 July.
The Programme
The UN-ETH Incubator is a comprehensive programme led by ETH Zurich and was established in 2025. The Incubator is based on co-design principles and built around use cases to facilitate new project-based collaborations between UN teams and ETH Zurich research groups. It aims to support UN teams by identifying relevant partners at ETH Zurich, aligns both partner’s needs, interests, and aims around a specific use case, and provides opportunities to jumpstart the new project.
You can find more information about the UN-ETH Incubator here.
The Incubator learning journey consists of four phases:
- Call for proposals that identifies use cases for potential collaborations (opens 7 May, ends 5 July).
- Guided matchmaking process process that pairs the ‘owner’ of the use case with their relevant partner(s) and helps them to familiarise themselves with their potential partner’s expertise, roles, and responsibilities.
- Structured use case development process process between potential partners to align their needs, interests, and aims, refine the use case using the co-design approach, and frame the basic parameters of the project.
- Project operationalization opportunities to jumpstart the collaboration.
Call for Proposals
The Call for Proposals for the UN-ETH Incubator 2026 opens 7 May and ends 5 July.
Frequently Asked Questions
UN teams from the entire UN system are invited to submit proposals.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated and selected by the Albert Einstein School of Public Policy at ETH Zurich together with the concerned chairs. The selected proposals will be notified in July 2026. The following evaluation criteria will be considered:
- Quality: The proposal describes a specific use case that is both policy relevant and scientifically compelling.
- Feasibility: The proposal has a reasonable chance of a successful matchmaking process between a UN team and an ETH research group.
- Applicability: The outcome of the envisioned project is useful to the UN team and the ETH research group.
Participants (UN teams and ETH research groups) of the UN-ETH Incubator agree to the following:
- To participate in the matchmaking process with an ETH research group and familiarise themselves with their potential partner’s expertise, roles, and responsibilities. If both parties believe the matchmaking process is successful and that the use case is promising, then both parties commit to continue discussions.
- To hold in-depth discussions with their partner to align their needs, interests, and aims and refine the use case with a co-design approach. If both parties believes the use case development process is successful, then they must explore what type of project to initiate and frame the basic parameters of the project together.
- To initiate and execute the project until its completion, as defined together.
The Incubator does not provide funding. According to the MoU signed by the UN and ETH Zurich, each organisation isresponsible for their own costs and overhead.
However, some of the operationalisation mechanisms do provide funding. These are the UN-ETH Student Team and the UN-ETH Internship programme.
For Joint Research Project, we recommend that UN teams and ETH research groups join forces to apply for third-party funding.
The UN-ETH Incubator was launched in 2025. During this first edition of the Incubator, 53 proposals were handed in by a diverse number of UN organisations. About 10 proposals were selected for the matchmaking processes. Half of these were successful and launched their projects at the UN-ETH Forum, a two-day conference hosted by ETH Zurich in October 2025.