French Government’s Make Our Planet Great Again Postdoctoral Programme 2021 for researchers (Funded Study in France)

Application Deadline: July 5th 2020

Launched by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, the Make Our Planet Great Again initiative has met with worldwide enthusiasm, generating expressions of interest from a large number of highly qualified students and researchers.

France’s ministries of Europe and foreign affairs (MEAE) and of higher education, research, and innovation (MESRI) in collaboration with Campus France have implemented a program of support for foreign postdoctoral researchers wishing to conduct further research in France on a topic related to earth systems, climate change and sustainability, the energy transition, or societal challenges of environmental issues.

Description of the Post-Doctoral project:

• Title of the Project
• Abstract of the Post-Doctoral Project (2000 char. max.)
• Context and motivation (2000 char. max.)
• Scientific Objectives (2000 char. max.)
• Methodology and Planning (4500 char. max.)
• Keywords (6)
• Position of the project in relation with the MOPGA scientific domains and integration in the French research host institution (1500 char. max.)

Requirements

• Foreign researchers holding a doctoral degree (for less than 5 years) are encouraged to respond to this call for proposals.
• Candidates must include with their application a letter from a French host institution agreeing to host their research if the candidate’s proposal is accepted by the program.
• This letter has to detail the resources provided to carry out the research project. A possibility of co-financing can also be considered.

Institutions hosting the laureates will be financed to 50 000€ for a period of 12 months, per selected post-doctoral researchers.

Research themes

Four broad research themes are prioritized:

• – Earth systems,
• – Climate change and sustainability,
• – Energy transition,
• – Societal challenges of environmental issues.

Selection Process

• Consistent with the aims and requirements of this call for proposals, the selection process will unfold in two phases. In the first phase, scientific experts in the covered fields will evaluate the applications received. In the second phase, an international jury will make the final selection of candidates to receive support.

Eligibility

Candidates must :

• possess a doctoral degree for less than five years on the date of submission of the application
• be exclusively of the nationality of one of the eligible countries (listed below)
• not have resided in France after September 1st, 2019.
  The postdoctoral contract must take effect from January 2021 (to be specified later).

List of 46 eligible countries:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong-Kong, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Island, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New-Zeland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapour, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taïwan, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Documents needed:

1. CV including the list of your publications
2. PhD Diploma (or certificate if PhD diploma)
3. CV of your postdoctoral supervisor
4. The letter of commitment of the French host institution for hosting your post-doctorate specifying the resources provided to carry out the research project (the host institution receives a financing of 50 000€ for 12 months)
5. Letters of recommendation.
6. Passport or proof of ID

Application process

Candidates must submit their research proposals online here.

Timeline

• March 6th 2020: Application period opens
• July 5th 2020 at 11.59pm CET: Application period ends

The following dates depends on the covid-19 situation:

• Beginning of December 2020 : Announcement of results
• From January 2021: Supported candidates report to participating institutions

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the French Government’s Make Our Planet Great Again Postdoctoral Programme 2021