Complete application material should be received preferably before the end of October of each year. International applicants are encouraged to submit their information earlier for verification of eligibility.

     Applicants may either contact directly a research unit affiliated with the Doctoral School or provide the Doctoral School with a letter of interest (including motivation relevant to a research topic, names and emails of two references) that will be transmitted to the relevant research teams.

     The application of eligible candidates is considered in respect of the available financial support and an open position in a relevant research unit supporting the application. The Doctoral School can reject any application based on inadequate scientific standards, even if all administrative criteria are fulfilled.

     The number of doctoral students accepted in the program is limited by the number of students who can receive supervision in a relevant research unit supporting their application. As a rule, a senior scientist habilitated to supervise research can be allowed to supervise only one doctoral student, in order to foster close interaction between students and faculty.

     After the applicant has been selected by a research supervisor, a research topic proposal and research plan is established.

     Registration is then conducted both online and by correspondence. The completed application form, signed by the candidate, the supervisor and the head of the research unit, must be forwarded to the Doctoral School, along with the candidate’s curriculum vitae (including study curriculum with rankings, relevant research experience and publications), a photocopy of his/her diploma (including translation into French or English if necessary), and his/her research topic proposal and research plan.

     The final decision is taken by the director of the Doctoral School. On receipt of the approval by the director of the Doctoral School, the applicant is allowed to register at the University to which his/her research unit is affiliated.

     In order to ensure the correct implementation of the doctoral program, a doctoral charter which sets out the rights and responsibilities of all the parties involved is signed by the doctorate student, his/her supervisor, the head of the hosting research unit and the director of the Doctoral School.

    The official normal duration of the doctoral work is three years. Duration of four years may be accepted in case of part-time doctorate work or pregnancy.

Written reports describing the progress of research must be submitted to the Doctoral School each year.

    By the end of the second year, the deadline for defense of the Thesis (doctoral dissertation) must be proposed by the doctorate student and his/her supervisor after taking advice of the Thesis committee.

    For any application for an additional year, the authorization of the Director of the Doctoral school is required, based on advice of the Thesis committee, a work plan to complete the doctoral work and funding for the additional year.