Competitions and PhD Contracts

All applicants for enrollment must be approved by the Doctoral School, based on their academic record, thesis topic, supervision, and funding, as outlined on the following page Apply.

Candidates, not only for admission but also for a doctoral research grant awarded by the Doctoral School, must then apply to the Doctoral School's competitive selection process for doctoral contracts.

Research grants awarded by the ED

Each year, the MSTII Doctoral School offers a number of doctoral research grants through a competitive selection process.

The research grant takes the form of a doctoral contract. It is a salaried position funded by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, via the universities. The doctoral candidate under contract signs a three-year employment agreement, allowing them to devote themselves fully to their doctoral research.

The doctoral contract guarantees a minimum monthly salary, indexed to the evolution of public sector wages. As of January 1, 2024, this minimum amounts to approximately €2,100 gross per month for research-only activities. This remuneration may be increased in the case of optional additional duties, such as teaching, scientific and technical communication, research valorization, or consultancy and expertise missions for companies or public bodies.

Further information is available through various resources (UGA, CJC, Ministry website).

The ED MSTII has set up a dual procedure for distributing grants:
1. an advanced procedure in April for 1 to 2 grants. (exceptionally suspended in 2025)
2. a normal procedure in June for around 10 grants.

Standard procedure

Number of grants awarded (expected): 10
Public: French or foreign students holding or completing a Master 2 research or professional degree, an engineering degree or a foreign diploma at bac +5 level.
Process: new procedure involving submission of the thesis subject via the ED website - ADUM platform.
The campaign for ordinary doctoral contracts (previously ADR UGA) for the ED MSTII opens on May 12, 2025, via the ADUM dematerialized platform. In accordance with CED UGA's OTM-R (Open/ Transparency/ Merit) principles, the process presented below involves several stages:

- 1st stage from May 12 to May 24, 2025 inclusive: Each thesis supervisor who wishes to do so submits a thesis project on: www.adum.fr
Your login is your institutional email.
If necessary, click on "forget password" when you first log in. Submit your subject using the "Thesis proposal" tab >> "Gestion des propositions de thèses" >> "Add a proposal doctoral project" with, towards the end, the type of funding >> "concours allocations".
- 2nd stage from May 26 to June 9, 2025: Candidates submit their application on ADUM via the link HERE
Documents to be provided in a single pdf file (in French or English). See the "advanced track" early procedure.
- 3rd stage from June 10 to 16, 2025 inclusive: Subject managers issue an opinion on the applications submitted.
Each thesis project leader uses the adum database to specify his or her opinion (Favorable / Unfavorable) for each candidate, and enters an argument explaining his or her choices (analysis criteria used, selection methods, etc.) as well as the main strengths of the candidate finally shortlisted by him or her.
Candidates who are not shortlisted by the thesis project leaders will be informed by the ED (via the adum) of the unfavorable opinion given by the project leader in the pre-selection phase.
- Stage 4: June 27, 2025: Candidate selection panel meeting.
The members of the jury receive the candidates' files and the arguments put forward by each thesis project leader for his or her shortlisted candidate.
The competition jury decides on the candidates pre-selected by the thesis project sponsors. The competition jury establishes a ranking of applications (a main list and an ordered complementary list).
- 5th stage: June 30, 2025: ED Council meeting.
The ED Council decides on the conclusions of the competition jury.
The ED Council members have at their disposal the ranking established by the jury (main list and ordered complementary list) as well as the files of the candidates concerned and the arguments of the subject leader.
The ED Board establishes a ranking of applications (main list and ordered complementary list).

Early procedure

Exceptionnally, in 2025, the early procedure is cancelled. It should resume in 2026.

Number of grants awarded: 1 to 2.

Public: students who have completed their master's - or equivalent 5 years university degree - outside Grenoble, in particular, students from abroad.

Process: the process is first managed by the laboratories, which will propose to the doctoral school a short list of candidates. To apply please contact the labs (see the "Labs and research supervisors" tab); do not send your application to the doctoral school directly.

Applications should include the following items (all documents must be in English or in French):

curriculum vitae
marks and/or grades of the different Master semesters
rank in the master / number of students
letters of recommendation (from the person supervising the second-year master's internship, the thesis supervisor, etc.)
title of the thesis and detail of the subject (1 page)
and any other information that may seem useful

Students not selected (or who did not apply) within this early procedure can apply to the standard procedure in July, which is open to all candidates from French or foreign Masters program or equivalent.

COMPETITION CRITERIA :
- Academic excellence is the main criterion.

At this level, the ED takes into account all the elements available in the files: grades, rankings, deliberations of the Master's jury, recommendations, etc.

- The thesis project and the candidate's suitability for it
- The balance between specialties, laboratories, teams, supervisors and other possible funding sources (CDSN, AMX, ERC, ANR, etc.).
Documents to be provided in a single pdf file (in French or English)

Advice to candidates:

The doctoral school must be able to assess the quality of your scientific file and thesis project. It is therefore advisable to attach to your application any information that may contribute to this analysis, such as recommendations, explanations and references that will help to situate you within your original training program (your ranking in the training programs and the number of students in them, etc.). If possible, enclose details of the Master's jury's deliberations (comments, reasoned recommendations for thesis continuation, etc.). This information is particularly useful for applicants from outside Grenoble, both in France and abroad.

Results 2025

At the end of the competition and after validation by the ED Board, each shortlisted candidate will be individually informed by the ED of the results of the competition jury.
This communication will take place at the beginning of July. The ordered complementary list is used for withdrawals. If necessary, unfilled contracts are reassigned by the CED.

Published on January 8, 2021
Updated on May 22, 2025

Print Share