FAQ

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.

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.