Have a question about the application or selection procedure ?

DUE TO SUMMER HOLIDAYS YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE A (PROMPT) RESPONSE TO EMAILS BETWEEN 1 AUGUST AND  17 AUGUST

Contact the thesis supervisor (contact emails provided for each project) for all scientific questions about the project and verify if your scientific experience and academic background are a good fit to the selected project.

  • Include a copy of your CV (preferably in Europass format) and an explanation of how you fit the published scientific requirements for their PhD project (see last page of project description).

For all administrative (eligibility, timeline, application portal, etc.) and practical questions about the programme and the conditions of the fellowship, please  email application-lightinparis.isl@institutoptique.fr *.  Start the subject heading with: LIP Call 3 question: [insert topic]. You should receive a response within 72h (barring weekends and holidays). From 15 September onwards, barring weekends, you will receive a response within 24h for urgent questions.

  • * Questions or requests, about Call 3, sent to any other email address are unlikely to receive a response.

Check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the

Guide for Applicants and the Annex to the Guide

If you can’t find the answer, email: application-lightinparis.isl@institutoptique.fr

Eligibility

If you have a question about your transnational mobility and / or qualification required to apply for a PhD (https://lightinparis.eu/eligibility) => Email management at application-lightinparis.isl@institutoptique.fr

If you get a different answer from another source, it is the response from the management which applies.

 

Yes, but you must have completed your cursus of study (including internship, master’s research / thesis etc) by the deadline of the 3rd call on 21 September 2026. 

« Rule of thumb »: if you stop all academic activity on 21 September 2026, would your University confirm that you will receive your degree?

– Yes? Then send us the documents and we can verify your eligibility.

-No? Then you are not eligible.

In all cases, you will need to provide your official degree certificate before the start of your contract.

There is NO exception to this rule.

There is no restriction on age nor on nationality for applicants.

You are a resident in the country where you lived while being unemployed (whether you received unemployment benefits or not), your permanent address while travelling etc.

If e.g. the country is France, but you could provide documented proof that you lived elsewhere, such as registration at the Town Hall, resident taxes, rental contract in your name…?

No? Then you were a resident in France.

There are NO exceptions regarding the two criteria required for MSCA COFUND PhD fellowships.

Application process

Yes, you may apply to a maximum of 3 PhD projects.

Nothing forbids you, and your references, from copying the same information in all three applications. But it is advisable to seek feedback of each thesis supervisor to see how best to tailor some responses. 

Following the external evaluation, if more than one application is eligible for the interview stage, the applicant can be interviewed for only one of these applications. For the 3rd call, the Governing Board will decide if a candidate may be interviewed for up to 2 projects in case of multiple applications (see Guide).

A maximum of 6 PhD fellowships are foreseen to be attributed in the 3rd call, of which 4 fellowships are foreseen to be attributed to Université Paris-Sacaly, and 2 to ONERA as the employer.

A good command of English (B2 CEFR level) is required for PhD studies. You would fulfill the requirement if you are a native English speaker / from a country with English as (one of ) its official languages and if your Master’s and Bachelor’s degree classes were in English, or you have an English certification equivalent to the B2 level.

Working conditions and benefits

Candidates selected by the LIGHTinPARIS programme will be employed by one of the implementing partners (In the 3rd call this will be Université Paris-Saclay or ONERA.

 

PhD students are required to participate in certain obligatory training courses offered by University Paris-Saclay such as,  Ethics and Integrity, Open science and Sustainable research and development.

LIGHTinPARIS fellows will additionally benefit from a Residential  five-day workshop on i) interdisciplinary communication, ii) detection of innovation potential, iii) inclusive practices and behaviours.

Selection and Recruitment

15 July 2025 – 21 September 2026: Call 3 is open. Application portal opened on 23 July 2026.

September 2026: The first evaluation step of the submitted applications is carried out by independent external referees based on the published criteria (see Guide).

All applications for a given project are evaluated by the same two independent referees. Depending on the number of applications per project, a referee may be called upon to evaluate more than one project. 

Candidates are selected to be interviewed based on these evaluations.

October (last week) – November (first week)  2026: The second evaluation step consists of on-line interviews for PhD fellowships by selection domain.

Selected candidates: The list of candidates selected for a PhD fellowship will be notified at latest by the middle of November and will have 72 hours to respond to the offer.

Laureates: The fellowships offer is contingent on documented proof of eligibility and obtaining the necessary security clearance.

The evaluation and selection criteria for PhD applicants in the LIGHTinPARIS program are divided into two steps.

In step 1, the Selection Committee evaluates applications based on the candidate’s education, background, experience, and motivation, using the criteria outlined in the LIGHTinPARIS Guide for Applicants.

In step 2, the Interview Committee assesses candidates through interviews, focusing on their scientific maturity, presentation quality, and independent thinking.

Each candidate receives a final score that is the average of both evaluation steps. The Governing Board decides on the final list of laureates based on these scores. See the LIGHTinPARIS Guide for Applicants for more details.

Living and Working in France

To discover the Université Paris-Saclay environment, we invite you to have a look at the Université Paris-Saclay Online Welccome Desk.

To prepare for your arrival, you will be helped by the Programme’s Project Manager and the services of the Université Paris-Saclay GATE for your administrative and practical procedures.

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