FAQ

Studyond is a collaborative platform supported by Innosuisse that connects students, academic supervisors, and industry practitioners to collaborate on theses and a broad range of university–industry collaborations, including seminars, applied research projects, and early-career academic–industry initiatives.

Yes. studyond is the new name for the platform formerly known as ThesisNavigator. While the brand has evolved, the core mission, connecting academia and industry through structured collaboration, remains unchanged.

Studyond is backed by Swiss universities, universities of applied sciences, and leading business and industry associations, and Studyond AG ensuring neutrality, quality standards, and long-term relevance.

All software is developed in Switzerland. No development is outsourced to foreign teams, reinforcing high standards in data protection, security, and quality.

Studyond is completely free for students. All features are available at no cost: no subscriptions, no hidden fees, no premium tiers.

Sign up using your official university email address and confirm your account via the verification code sent to your inbox. Once verified, you can immediately explore topics and apply.

You can browse a wide range of thesis topics and filter by industry, university, and field to quickly identify opportunities aligned with your studies and interests.

Applications are limited at certain points to maintain quality and fairness in the process. Students are encouraged to apply carefully and thoughtfully, and to focus on one topic per company that genuinely matches their interests and academic goals.

You can contact the studyond team at hello@studyond.com. They can help identify suitable topics or companies from their broader network and database.

Yes. You can contact experts directly (if available) via the dedicated expert list or through the respective company profile to request interviews or research support.

Yes. Studyond is completely free for students. All features - including job search, applications, and profile creation - are available at no cost. Revenue comes from company subscriptions, not from students.

No. All students with a verified university email can browse and apply for jobs on Studyond. However, if you have completed a thesis project through the platform, companies can see your work history, which gives you a significant advantage.

Companies post internships, working student positions, and graduate roles across a wide range of industries and functions. These are companies that actively collaborate with Swiss universities - from SMEs to large corporations.

On Studyond, every company actively invests in university collaboration. Your academic background, thesis projects, and research interests matter here - not just keywords on a CV. If you completed a thesis with a company, they already know your work quality.

Significantly. A thesis project is a 6-month work sample observed in real conditions. Research shows this is the strongest predictor of job performance - far outperforming CV screening or interviews alone. Companies that worked with you during a thesis already know your capabilities.

Apply directly with your Studyond profile in one click. Your profile includes your university, study program, thesis projects, skills, and research interests. No cover letter or separate CV formatting is needed.

Start browsing during your thesis or final semester. Many companies hire thesis students directly after project completion. The earlier you build your profile and explore opportunities, the stronger your position when you're ready to apply.

Yes. Studyond connects thesis discovery with career opportunities. You can explore thesis topics from the same companies that post jobs. A thesis project is often the best way to get your foot in the door before applying for a full-time role.

Studyond hosts 7,500+ thesis topics and company projects across all major fields — from business and engineering to social sciences and natural sciences. Use the field filter to see what's available in your area, or let AI matching surface the most relevant results for your profile.

Every topic on Studyond is posted by a company actively looking for students. Your application goes directly to the company contact — no black hole. Most companies respond within a few days. If you don't hear back within a week, a short follow-up is always reasonable.

Most company thesis topics are designed to meet academic standards. You work with both your professor and the company to align scope and methodology. Studyond helps you find the right topic — the academic framework stays between you and your university. If you're unsure, bring the topic brief to your supervisor early.

Studyond isn't just for thesis topics. You can also find shorter company projects, interview partners for qualitative research, and research experts for guidance. Filter by type when browsing, or use AI matching to surface what fits your current needs.

Based on your profile — field of study, interests, and skills — Studyond's AI suggests topics, projects, and experts that fit. The more complete your profile, the better the recommendations. You can always browse manually using filters if you prefer to search yourself.

Yes, 100% free. No trial period, no premium tier, no hidden costs. Students get full access to all topics, projects, interview partners, and matching features at no charge. Revenue comes from the companies and organizations that use the platform.

Yes, always. Studyond is completely free for university researchers and supervisors. No subscription, no hidden fees, no budget request needed. Companies pay to access the platform — researchers and universities use it at no cost.

Studyond is fully GDPR-compliant and complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP/FDPIC). Your research data is stored in EU-based data centers (Frankfurt, Germany) and is never shared with companies without your explicit consent. You control what appears on your profile and what companies can see.

Yes. Studyond was co-developed with Innosuisse, Switzerland's federal innovation agency, as part of a funded research project carried out in collaboration with ETH Zurich and the University of St. Gallen (HSG). It is an ETH startup and HSG spin-off with deep institutional roots in the Swiss academic ecosystem.

Fully. You decide what appears on your researcher profile — your research interests, published topics, and collaboration history. Companies can only see what you choose to publish. You set the scope and visibility of every collaboration.

For thesis co-supervision, the time commitment is the same as traditional supervision: 2-3 hours per month. Initial problem scoping with a company takes 3-5 hours once. Platform administration is zero — there is no overhead beyond what you would normally invest in supervising a student project.

Studyond supports thesis co-supervision (Bachelor and Master), applied PhD research projects, postdoc collaborations, joint grant proposals (e.g. Innosuisse, Horizon Europe), and access to industry data and domain expertise. You choose the format that fits your research agenda.

Yes. Companies on Studyond are already engaged in academic collaboration, making them natural partners for joint funding applications. You can search for companies working in your domain and approach them directly about co-submitting Innosuisse NTN Innovation Cheques, Bridge projects, or Horizon Europe grants.

Your published topics are visible to students across all 20+ Swiss universities on the platform. Studyond's AI matches topics to students by research domain, degree level, and keywords — so the most relevant students find your topics first. You can also restrict visibility to specific universities if preferred.

You set the IP terms. Standard research agreements between you, your university, and the company govern methodology, publication rights, and data ownership. Studyond does not claim any intellectual property rights over research produced through the platform.

Yes. Each researcher registers independently with their institutional email and manages their own profile and topics. There is no limit on the number of researchers per department. Studyond supports 230+ professors and supervisors across 20+ Swiss universities today.

Creating and using an account is free for individual supervisors. Universities can partner with Studyond under institutional agreements, depending on scope, visibility, and integration needs. Feel free to reach out to hello@studyond.com

Register using your official university email address and complete the standard verification process. Once verified, you can immediately publish topics and engage with companies and students.

Supervisors can publish an unlimited number of research and thesis topics, without restrictions or quotas.

Yes. Supervisors can invite existing academic and industry partners to collaborate on Studyond, enabling structured engagement within an established network.

Yes. Supervisors receive real-time notifications when companies publish topics aligned with their research interests. Notification settings can be activated or deactivated at any time.

Universities benefit from:

• Access to practice-relevant, industry-driven topics
• Increased visibility of institutional research strengths
• A centralized platform for managing and showcasing all thesis collaborations

Yes. Studyond is completely free for university researchers and supervisors. No subscription, no hidden fees, no budget request needed. Companies pay to access the platform - researchers and universities use it at no cost.

Absolutely not. You retain full control over methodology, analysis, and publication rights. Companies provide problem framing and data access, but academic supervision authority is yours. This works exactly like any industry-funded research project - standard research agreements protect your IP and publication rights.

For thesis co-supervision: 2-3 hours per month, the same as traditional supervision. Initial problem scoping takes 3-5 hours once. Platform administration is zero - there's no overhead beyond what you'd normally invest in supervising a student project.

Companies on Studyond post concrete research problems, not generic job listings. You can filter by domain, keyword, and industry to find partners working on problems in your field. If there are no matches today, create a researcher profile and let companies with relevant challenges find you.

Thesis co-supervision (Bachelor and Master), applied PhD research projects, postdoc collaborations, joint grant proposals (e.g. Innosuisse), and access to industry data and domain expertise. You choose the format that fits your research agenda.

No. Researchers adopt Studyond individually through their institutional email. No procurement process, no IT integration, no institutional approval needed. Most researchers discover Studyond through peer referrals and start using it independently.

Creating an account and joining the Studyond network is free. Experts can post thesis topics or support students as interview partners at no cost. Enterprise customers benefit from advanced features, visibility, and controls - pricing details are available on our pricing page.

Yes. Companies can selectively restrict visibility of thesis topics and internships to specific universities, ensuring relevance and strategic focus.

Yes. Experts can join Studyond without publishing topics. This allows you to explore the ecosystem, monitor talent interest, and prepare internally before launching projects.

AI based matching algorithm based on profile, interest and skills.

Yes. Custom Single Sign-On (SSO) integration is available on request for Enterprise customers. This allows your teams to access studyond using existing corporate authentication systems, ensuring security, compliance, and minimal IT overhead.

Career fairs give one day at one university for CHF 5,000-20,000. LinkedIn reaches less than 20% of under-25s - and with GenAI-polished CVs, the candidates you do find are harder to evaluate than ever. Studyond gives year-round access to students across 20+ Swiss universities with AI matching and structured profiles - starting at CHF 4,900/year.

Job boards give you volume. Studyond gives you signal. Structured student profiles with academic context, AI matching by study program and skills, and optionally a 4-6 month work-sample evaluation through thesis collaboration. Research shows work samples are the strongest predictor of job performance - far outperforming CV screening or interviews.

No. Studyond runs in your browser. Live in 5 minutes. Connect to your ATS via link-based integration, or use standalone. No IT involvement needed.

Optional for critical hires. You scope a project, a student works on it under academic supervision for 4-6 months. Your involvement: 2-3 hours/month. You observe real output, collaboration, and delivery before making a hiring decision.

About 5 minutes. Choose a role, post it, go live. Professional+ clients get a dedicated CSM for onboarding support.

Thesis students do exploration, not execution. They bring academic methodology - literature reviews, structured data collection, documented analysis - supervised by experienced researchers. Your role is framing the problem and providing domain context. The output is peer-reviewed evidence, not junior opinions.

Your involvement is 2-3 hours per month. Academic supervisors handle methodology, timelines, and quality assurance. You provide problem framing and domain expertise - typically a kickoff meeting, monthly check-ins, and a final review.

Consultants deliver recommendations. Thesis projects deliver evidence - literature reviews, primary data, documented methodology, peer-reviewed conclusions. A typical consulting engagement costs CHF 50,000-150,000 for a slide deck. A thesis project costs a fraction of that and produces publishable-grade research you can build on.

Even "negative" results have value - they validate assumptions, eliminate dead ends, and document what doesn't work. That's intelligence you'd otherwise pay consultants to discover. The cost is fixed and low, so your downside is controlled. Compare that to a CHF 100,000 consulting engagement that may also produce inconclusive findings.

Market exploration, technology validation, competitive intelligence, business model testing, and process optimization. The key: projects that need structured investigation, not projects that need execution speed. If you need a report in two weeks, hire a consultant. If you need rigorous evidence to inform a strategic decision, a thesis project is the better investment.

One recommendation at kickoff is all it takes. You introduce Studyond at your thesis orientation session, and students self-onboard from there. No IT configuration, no procurement process, no faculty coordination beyond the initial mention. Most programs are active within a week of making the first recommendation.

No. Studyond requires no software installation, no system integration, and no budget approval. Students sign up independently using their university email address. The platform runs in the browser — there is nothing for your IT team to configure or maintain.

Partner programs receive a cohort engagement dashboard showing which students accessed the platform, how many topics were applied for, which companies engaged with your cohort, and how thesis projects progressed. This data is available without surveys, spreadsheets, or manual follow-up.

Yes. Your program name, logo, and description appear on every student profile and application. When students interact with companies — browsing topics, applying, collaborating — your program's brand travels with them. This builds your program's industry reputation with every thesis, without any additional effort from your team.

Studyond hosts 7,500+ academic and industry thesis topics across every major field — from business, engineering, and natural sciences to social sciences, computer science, and law. Students filter by degree level, field, industry sector, and format. AI matching surfaces the most relevant topics for each student's profile and interests.

Studyond partners with study programs as co-creation partners. Your program contributes by recommending the platform to students and providing program context for matching — Studyond provides the thesis topic infrastructure, branding visibility, engagement analytics, and direct company connections. The partnership is built around shared value, not a traditional vendor relationship.

Companies post thesis topics and project briefs year-round. Students discover and apply to these topics directly through the platform, without requiring faculty to broker the connection. Each thesis becomes a 6-month work-sample evaluation — companies assess students through real work, and many extend job offers based on thesis collaboration.

Yes. Each study program operates independently on Studyond with its own branding, cohort analytics, and configuration. A university with multiple programs — such as separate Bachelor, Master, and MBA programs — can have each represented distinctly. There is no requirement for institution-wide coordination.

Studyond tracks the thesis-to-employment pipeline per program. Companies frequently post job listings alongside their thesis topics, and students who complete a thesis with a company enter the hiring process with an established working relationship. Your program gains visibility into graduate employability outcomes — not just thesis completion rates.

Yes. studyond complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA). Personal data is processed transparently and in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

All data is stored in AWS data centers located in Frankfurt, Germany, ensuring data residency within the European Union.

We use industry-standard security, including encryption and secure communication protocols. The database is isolated in a private cloud network.

Yes. Users may delete their account and personal data at any time via their profile settings or by contacting privacy@studyond.com. Deletion requests are handled in line with legal and regulatory obligations.

Authentication is handled via Auth0 by Okta, an enterprise-grade identity provider. Secure tokens are used to manage authenticated communication between platform services.

If a data breach occurs, Studyond will notify affected users and relevant authorities within 72 hours, in accordance with applicable regulations.

Studyond is currently web-based. The platform's architecture is designed to support future mobile applications if required in the future.

Updates are deployed continuously to the cloud, typically without service interruption, ensuring users always have access to the latest features and improvements.

Yes. Studyond is cloud-native and uses automated scaling mechanisms to adjust system resources based on usage and demand.

Cloud-native backup and recovery solutions are used to regularly back up data and support restoration in the event of a system failure.

Yes. Studyond uses AI-supported systems to improve matching between students, supervisors, and companies, for example by recommending relevant topics, profiles, or collaborations based on interests, skills, and context.

AI on Studyond is decision-supporting, not decision-making. Final decisions, such as selecting a student, approving a topic, or initiating a collaboration, are always made by humans.

No. AI does not automatically accept, reject, or rank individuals in a binding way. It provides recommendations and structured suggestions to support users in navigating large volumes of information.

Studyond is committed to transparency. AI-supported recommendations are based on clearly defined inputs such as profile data, stated interests, and skills. Users remain in control and can always review, ignore, or override AI suggestions.

No personal data is used to train general-purpose AI models. Where AI components rely on learning mechanisms, they are restricted to platform-internal optimization and operate on anonymized or aggregated data where possible.

Studyond is designed to align with the principles of the EU AI Act and Swiss regulatory frameworks. The platform's AI features are classified as low-risk, support-oriented systems and follow core principles such as human oversight, transparency, data minimization, and non-discrimination.

Studyond actively monitors AI-supported features for unintended bias. Matching logic is based on academic relevance, skills, and declared interests, not on sensitive personal attributes. AI outputs are regularly reviewed and adjusted where needed.

Yes. Where AI-supported recommendations are offered, users can choose not to rely on them and instead browse or search manually using filters and structured listings.

AI governance is handled internally by Studyond AG. All AI-related features are reviewed from a legal, ethical, and technical perspective before deployment, with a strong emphasis on responsibility, accountability, and user trust.

Studyond is completely free for students, faculty, and business professionals. All features are available at no cost: no subscriptions, no hidden fees, no premium tiers.

Sign up using your official university or company email address and confirm your account via the verification code sent to your inbox. Once verified, you can immediately explore the platform.

Studyond is a collaborative platform supported by Innosuisse that connects students, academic supervisors, and industry practitioners to collaborate on theses and a broad range of university–industry collaborations, including seminars, applied research projects, and early-career academic–industry initiatives.

Yes, always. Studyond is completely free for university researchers and supervisors. No subscription, no hidden fees, no budget request needed. Companies pay to access the platform — researchers and universities use it at no cost.

Yes. Studyond complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA). All data is stored in AWS data centers located in Frankfurt, Germany.

Studyond is backed by Swiss universities, universities of applied sciences, and leading business and industry associations, and Studyond AG ensuring neutrality, quality standards, and long-term relevance.