Call for Thesis Supervisors - Doctoral programs Scientific policy
A campaign to recruit doctoral candidates developed by thesis advisors in line with the scientific priorities of the Sorbonne University Alliance is open.
A first call was launched through the Institutes and Initiatives in December 2023. The present campaign completes this first call. It has two objectives:
- To strengthen Sorbonne University's international partnerships through co-supervised or co-tutored PhDs through two calls:
- A call within the framework of the 4EU+ Alliance
- A call to strengthen strategic and thematic partnerships
- Amplify the scientific voice of the Sorbonne University Alliance with and for civil society through the SOUND project (for this call, post-doctoral proposals are also possible).
Joint calendar
- February 12 - March 22: Call for projects (Please note: For research projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the project submitted by the research supervisor may correspond to clearly identifiable fields or approaches in which student candidates may apply).
- March 27 - April 22: selection of projects
- April 29: publication of selected projects and launch of the call for applications - (Please note: for research projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences, student applicants must submit their full application with the research topic they have developed with their thesis supervisor and co-supervisor for international cotutelles).
- May 27: deadline for submission of applications
- June 3 - June 17: audition of candidates
- June 19: publication of results
Each project must be submitted to the corresponding call and may not be submitted to more than one call. Specific procedures for each call are available in the following tabs:
The 4EU+ Alliance promotes an innovative, transdisciplinary approach through four flagship programs. These programs are the pillars of the 4EU+ Alliance, guiding the implementation of its vision to serve society and its common approach to education and research by focusing on four major societal challenges. These four flagship programs are:
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Flagship 1: Urban health and demographic change
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Flagship 2: Multilingualism, pluralities, citizenship
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Flagship 3: Digitalization - Modeling - Transformation
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Flagship 4: Environmental Transitions
In the context of this call, each project should preferably be part of one of the four flagship programs. It is based on the rules governing co-tutelles (two co-directors), and it is possible to have a third partner who brings an external viewpoint to the doctoral work (collaboration, member of the thesis committee, etc.). During the doctoral project, the doctoral student must spend at least one year with the co-directing partner. To facilitate this one-year mobility, a "mobility supplement" will be granted to selected doctoral candidates.
Sorbonne University wishes to strengthen its international partnerships. To this end, a call for proposals has been launched, open to all the disciplinary fields of Sorbonne University's laboratories. Proposals must be linked to one of Sorbonne University's international strategic partnerships or thematic partnerships.
Strategic partnerships include UNAM in Mexico, the University of Sydney in Australia, NTU in Singapore, Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada, the University of Tokyo (Todai) in Japan and UIR in Rabat, Morocco, as part of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra international network.
Thematic partnerships include FIOCRUZ in Brazil, the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the USA.
Each proposal must be co-supervised or co-directed by Sorbonne Université and one of the international strategic or thematic partners.
In this call, other proposals without an international strategic or thematic partnership will also be evaluated, provided they correspond to a cotutelle with an international university.
The SOUND project is launching its first call for doctoral and post-doctoral projects, which will fund 12 multidisciplinary scientific projects with a social impact, based on its three thematic programs.
The research component of SOUND is mainly based on doctoral and post-doctoral contracts, and doctoral missions in scientific mediation.
The characteristics of SOUND's call for doctoral and post-doctoral projects:
- a strong connection to one or more of the thematic priorities identified within each thematic program;
- a multi- and/or inter-disciplinary, or even inter-sectoral, approach to societal issues, in conjunction with an external partner (existing or to be identified);
- the anchoring of the projects supported in civil society in various forms: formal partnership with a public or private organization, participatory methods in data collection and processing, mediation and/or expertise actions anticipated in the very design of the project, openness of data and expected results, explicit contribution to issues of public debate...
- a sustainable approach: candidates are encouraged to think about the environmental impact of their project when writing it, and to draw up an action plan when signing the contract, with the help of the SOUND team.
- co-directors or co-supervisors must come from two different disciplines, as far as possible.
- In the case of a co-supervised thesis, at least one of the two co-supervisors must hold an HDR or equivalent, and be assigned to two research units and doctoral schools under the supervision of one of the institutions in the Sorbonne University Alliance.
Find out more about the SOUND project and the scientific priorities of the doctoral and post-doctoral program in detail.
For thesis advisors to submit their projects, fill out the form (in French).
Download the calls for projects (in French).
Eligibility criteria, candidate selection and registration
Applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be assessed according to the following criteria: quality, novelty and scientific ambition of the project:
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scientific quality, clarity of the problem and the proposed conduct of the work;
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originality and relevance of the project
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appropriateness of the project to the themes indicated in the call for projects
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In the context of the SOUND call, the project's CSR approach will also be assessed
For projects involving interdisciplinarity, the added value of this interdisciplinarity will be assessed:
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Genuine interdisciplinary dimension of the proposed approach and methodology.
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Relevance, originality and added value of the interdisciplinary approach to the problem studied.
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In the context of the SOUND call, time-sharing between two research units from different disciplines is strongly recommended.
The feasibility of the project will be assessed on the basis of several indicators:
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Compatibility of human, technical and financial resources with the stated objectives for the period concerned;
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Quality and complementarity of the teams hosting the doctoral candidate.
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Appropriateness with the project leader's supervision rate.
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The quality of supervision will be taken into account in the evaluation criteria, through the environment in which the doctorate or post-doctorate will take place.
Projects are then evaluated by commissions including representatives of the Alliance Sorbonne Université, chosen according to the themes of the projects submitted.
Some specific rules apply to our international 4EU+ partners:
At the University of Milan, selected projects will require the formal approval of the relevant doctoral school, as it is mandatory to be included in the public call for applications.
At Charles University, the approval of the Doctoral School/Department is also required. Thesis directors treat selected candidates in the same way as any other doctoral student (applicant, individual development plan, thesis defense, etc.).
Doctoral contracts will be awarded in two stages. A first selection will be made on the basis of the candidate's dossier (detailed CV, master's transcript, one or more letters of recommendation, one of which must come from one of the co-supervisors) submitted in accordance with the procedure set out in the call.
Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to attend an audition. The suitability of the project for the candidate's profile will be assessed by a jury made up of members selected for their scientific expertise. The jury will include as ex-officio members the head of the doctoral program and representatives of the doctoral schools concerned.
For the 4EU+ call, if one of the partners is the University of Milan, admission to doctoral programs will be by means of a public selection procedure involving the evaluation of diplomas and the comparative assessment of candidates. A review committee, appointed in accordance with current Italian regulations, will carry out the procedure. The Committee will be integrated by inviting the head of the doctoral program or a representative of the interested doctoral schools as an ex-officio member for the interview.