PRESTIGE Postdoctoral Research International Fellowships, France, 2018

Scholarship Description: Applications are invited for PRESTIGE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in France for the year which is open all year round for applicants worldwide. The programme is open to any scientific field and research topic, as far as in compliance with EU ethics regulation and rules.

PRESTIGE aims at fostering the international mobility of post-doc researchers.

Three mobility schemes are available:

• Incoming, allowing foreign or French researchers complying with the Marie Curie Actions mobility rules to carry out their post-doctoral research work in France;
• Outgoing, for researchers already working in French research institutions and universities (French citizens or other nationalities) wishing to carry out a post-doctoral research project in another country
• Re-integration, targeted at nationals of the EU Member States or Associated Countries working in research for at least 3 years in another Third Country to come to France to further develop their career.

Degree Level: Fellowships are available to pursue postdoctoral programme.

Available Subject: PRESTIGE is open to all scientific fields provided that each proposed research project is in compliance with the EU ethics rules. Co-financing partners may, however, limit the eligible scientific fields, according to their own prioritized thematic areas.

Scholarship Benefits: PRESTIGE is a co-financing programme, funding about 1/3 of the post-doc fellow’s living, mobility and research allowance, whiles the remaining 2/3 are financed by another partner, either public or private. PRESTIGE should help to strengthen and broaden various existing mobility initiatives, thus making both France and the European Research Area (ERA) more attractive to researchers.

Minimum Financial Conditions for Prestige Fellows

* The living allowance for Outgoing mobility is intended as amount paid in addition to the regular salary, as this scheme is for researchers who are already employees of French institutions

EU co-funding:

Researchers will be partly financed through PRESTIGE by a EU grant (roughly 1/3 of the salary) paid by Campus France to the host or sending institutions which commit themselves to finance the remaining amount. Please note that the actual grant amount will be prorated depending on the duration of the mobility.

Eligibility: The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for fellowship:

• The applicant must be in possession of a doctoral degree or having at least 4 years of research experience (full-time equivalent). Ph.D. students can apply provided that they will be in possession of their doctoral degree by the start of the post-doc mobility.
• The applicant must comply with the Marie Curie Actions mobility rules (not have resided or carried out his/her main activity – work, studies, etc. – in the country of his/her host organization for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the application deadline)
• The hosting/sending research institution must be in France
• There is no age limit and no nationality requirement (although for the Re-integration mobility some restrictions apply)
• The applicant should not already benefit grant from another EU grant
• The applicant must provide a letter of recommendation from the host institution
• The applicant must provide a commitment letter from the hosting/sending institution on the co-financing of his/her research mobility
• The online application must be completed and sent by the relevant cut-off date
• If selected for funding, the researcher must be paid from the hosting/sending institution at least the PRESTIGE minimum living, mobility and research allowance

Researchers must be Experienced Researchers (according to the terminology of Marie Curie Actions) in possession of a doctoral degree (or be awarded such a degree by the starting date of their mobility) or an equivalent research experience of 4 years and they may apply after a career break. Their proposals must fulfill all of the below-mentioned eligibility criteria if they are to be retained for evaluation. These criteria will be rigorously applied. A proposal can be declared ineligible, at any time, if it becomes clear that it does not meet the requirements.

• Proposals must be received before the deadline for a specific cut-off date;
• All fields of interest to the European Union are eligible for funding, except areas of research covered by the EURATOM Treaty;
• For Incoming mobility: experienced researchers (permanent researchers as well as post-docs) from any country of the world. The mobility rule of the PEOPLE programme applies. At the time of the submission of proposals’ deadline, candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organization for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the deadline;
• For Outgoing mobility: fellowships for researchers working in French research institutions and universities (French citizens or other nationalities). The other nationalities may originate from any country within Europe or from outside Europe;
• For the Re-integration scheme: Member State or Associated Country nationals having carried out research in another Third Country for at least 3 years, to establish them in a longer-term career in France after this transnational mobility period;
• Proposals must be complete and prepared in cooperation with a host institution. A letter of recommendation of the host organization, having checked the relevance of the proposal in terms of priorities (economic, regional, national), must be joined to the proposal.

Research topics are to be previously defined after a discussion between the host research unit/laboratory and the applicant. In the fellowship scheme, the choice of research topics and destination is free but may depend on regional priorities and on host organizations’ capabilities to ensure appropriate conditions of research.

A prior declaration signed by both the applicant and the host research unit/laboratory will have to be joined to the application declaring that research works to be undertaken will be in line with the ethical rules of the FP7 programme.

Eligible Nationality: PRESTIGE fellowships are open to applicants from any country.

Application Procedure : The mode of application is online.

Application Form

Application Deadline: The PRESTIGE Call for applications is open all year long with four cut-off dates:

• 31/03
• 30/06
• 30/09
• 31/12

Scholarship Link