Thesis funding
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The doctoral contract
Conditions of access to the doctoral contract
The doctoral contract is open to all doctoral students registered in the first year of their thesis for less than six months, regardless of age.
Applications are examined exclusively at the local level in each institution after broad information has been distributed by the various doctoral schools, notably to of students completing their master's program.
This review must be part of an open, understandable and fair candidate selection policy for all students with a master's degree or equivalent, regardless of the institution from which they graduated and the date of graduation.
Role of doctoral students
The activities entrusted to the contractual doctoral student can be dedicated to research but also include other tasks : teaching, scientific and technical information, research promotion, consulting or expertise missions for companies or public authorities.
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The doctoral contract, the main source of funding for the doctorate
The doctoral contract, a financial support
The doctoral contract is the main form of support which can be awarded to students preparing a doctorate. Created by decree on April 23, 2009, the doctoral contract is offered to doctoral students. It lasts for three years and provides all the social guarantees of an employment contract in accordance with public law.
The doctoral contract sets a minimum remuneration indexed to the evolution of public service salaries: since July 1, 2010, it amounts to 1684,93 euros gross per month for a research activity alone and 2024,70 euros gross per month in case of additional activities. It can be increased above the minimum amount.
The financing of doctoral contracts
It is the responsibility of public institutions of higher education or research to determine the financial envelope that they wish to devote to the financing of doctoral contracts. These are established by the head of the public institution concerned on the proposal of the director of the doctoral school to which the doctoral student is attached.
It should be noted that whatever the origin of the funding provided to the public institution of higher education or research (local authority, company), a doctoral contract can be created as soon as the amount of funding allows the doctoral student to be remunerated within the minimum remuneration. The doctoral contract can also be based on co-financing.
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Industrial agreements for training through research (CIFRE)
Terms of access to CIFRE
To be eligible for a CIFRE, you must hold or be in the process of obtaining dTo obtain a diploma conferring the grade of master and to register for a doctorate, without any condition of nationality. Once the hiring company and the academic laboratory have been identified, applications must be submitted to the A.N.R.T.
The doctoral student prepares the doctorate in business he is responsible for the development of the company's products and services by conducting a research and development program in conjunction with a research team from outside the company. He benefits from a work contract in C.D.I. or in C.D.D. with the company, and receives a minimum annual gross salary of 23,484 (1957 euros/month). The company receives an annual lump sum subsidy of 14,000 euros.
Financing of CIFRE
For 30 years, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research has funded CIFRE in order to develop research collaborations between companies and the academic world while allowing doctoral students to prepare a very high level training leading to a doctorate. The combined efforts of the Ministry and the National Association for Research and Technology (A.N.R.T.), in charge of managing the agreements, have made it possible to double the number of CIFRE in ten years, each year about 1300 agreements are awarded.
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The European industrial doctorate
Terms of access to the European industrial doctorate
The doctoral student must prepare his thesis at a university it benefits from a joint supervision of both partners spends 50% of his time with the private partner (companies, P.M.E., associations, foundations, museums, etc.) and is employed by one of the partners and possibly made available.
Funding that extends to Europe
The European Union offers universities the opportunity to train young researchers in partnership with the private sector thanks to a funding action entitled "European industrial doctorate" within the framework of the "Marie Curie" actions open to all scientific disciplines. The aim is to enable an economic actor and a university from different countries to work on a common project, a project that can fund from 1 to 5 theses.
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Other sources of funding
Finally, there are other sources of funding for PhDs that come from research organizations, local authorities (especially regions) foundations, associations that are likely to fund the research of PhD students that should not be overlooked.