OpenFieldThe University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO - Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale) is Switzerland's largest university of applied sciences network with over 21,000 students across six French-speaking cantons (Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud), celebrated for innovation in microtechnology, bioengineering, and health sciences.
Review checked academic pathways and funding options below:
Prestigious federal scholarship granted by the Swiss Confederation to foreign researchers conducting cooperative doctoral or postdoctoral investigations in engineering or life sciences at HES-SO.
Multi-cantonal master's program based in Sion and Fribourg offering specializations in Applied Biosciences, Chemical Development & Production, and Viticulture & Enology.
Four-year cooperative doctoral fellowship conducted jointly with EPFL and HE-Arc (Neuchâtel), developing bio-resorbable pressure sensors and microfluidic diagnostic implants.
Applied energy engineering project based at HES-SO Valais-Wallis designing floating photovoltaic systems on alpine reservoir lakes to maximize winter solar yield in sub-zero climates.
Six-month professional engineering placement embedded within medical technology manufacturers and bio-diagnostic firms in the Swiss Health Valley along Lake Geneva.
Two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Haute école Arc Ingénierie in Saint-Imier focusing on ultra-short laser micromachining, surface functionalization, and micro-optics.
Permanent professorship at the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), teaching embedded AI, tinyML, and leading funded Innosuisse industry research.
Tuition for Swiss and EU/EEA students is CHF 500 to CHF 750 per semester (CHF 1,000 to 1,500 / ~$1,150–1,720 USD per year). Tuition for non-EU international students is CHF 1,050 to 1,500 per semester. Doctoral and scientific collaborators hold salaried Swiss federal contracts starting at CHF 60,000.
Distinguished researchers and laboratory heads at University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland:
Rector of HES-SO & President of swissuniversities · Optics and Photonics, Higher Education Policy, European Research Collaboration, Applied Sciences Governance
Professor of Information Systems & Head of Energy Informatics Lab · Energy Informatics, Smart Grids, Machine Learning, Pervasive Computing
Professor of Life Sciences & Head of Institute of Life Technologies · Microfluidics, Point-of-Care Diagnostics, Biosensors, Diagnostic Devices
Facts reflect official University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland documentation reviewed 2026-10-15. Degree admissions, scholarship awards, and employment positions are subject to formal university review. OpenField does not charge students application fees.
Reviewed 2026-10-15 · Editorial standards · Report an issue