Yes, LIGHTinPARIS has academic and non-academic partners. Some will provide trainings for all the PhD students of the programme; others will participate in events (such as Residential workshop) and/or will co-fund specific PhD projects. All of them will contribute to a LIGHTinPARIS ecosystem capable of boosting the careers of PhD students.

There is no age or nationality requirement for applicants. Nevertheless, the “MSCA-COFUND mobility rule” must be respected as stated below:

“Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account. 

For international European research organisations, international organisations, or entities created under Union law, recruited researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment in the same appointing organisation. Note that the mobility rule applies to the (first) beneficiary where the researcher is recruited.”

This rule resolutely reinforces the European dimension of LIGHTinPARIS.

To give a concrete example, an international student who did a M1 (first year of Master) and M2 (second year of Master) in France is not eligible, but a French student who did a M1 and M2 abroad before applying is eligible.

Thus any candidate who has lived in France for less than 12 months in the three years immediately before the contract starting date, which in case of the Call 1 is October 1, 2025, or November 1, 2025 is eligible.

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 Table 2 of 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 using the criteria outlined in Table 3. This step determines the recipients of the PhD grants.

Full details are provided in section 4 of the LIGHTinPARIS Guide for Applicants.

In Call 1, PhD candidates can apply from January 15, 2025. Before submitting the application on ADUM they should contact the advisor for selected thesis subject. After submitting their application, they will receive an automatic acknowledgment email.

Before Step 1 begins, all applications will be examined for eligibility. Candidates will receive confirmation of their eligibility before the evaluation of applications by the external experts.

Step 1, focused on evaluating written applications, will run from March 28 to April 30, 2025 ( about 5 weeks).

Step 2, consisting of remote (on-line) interviews (through videoconference), will run from May 19 to May 30, 2025 (about 2 weeks).

Candidates invited for interviews will be notified on May 2, 2025 and have one week to respond (by May 9, 2025, at noon of Paris time). They will also receive feedback based on selection criteria, and unsuccessful candidates will be informed of their ranking on the waiting list.

The final list of successful candidates will be published on the program website on June 4, 2025, and they must accept the position within one week of publication (by June 11, 2025, at noon of Paris time).