Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale - Poste de these pour internes et assistants (FRM Programme Espoirs de la Recherche)

FRM PhD post for medical trainees and paramedics

The Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) pays your salary while you prepare a science doctorate (a research PhD in biology or health). The grant covers your gross salary, paid directly to your employer. You get 50,000 EUR per year if you are or were a medical resident (interne), or 60,000 EUR per year for other profiles such as CCA, AHU or paramedics. You also get a one-off 3,000 EUR for travel to conferences or short lab stays. You are hired on a full-time fixed-term contract (CDD) starting between 1 October 2026 and 1 April 2027. If you start your first PhD year, funding runs 2 or 3 years (your choice). If you start your second year, it runs 2 years. It is not renewable.

Who can apply

• Degree: You hold a Master 2 recherche (a research-focused master's) by the time funding starts.
• Your job status: You are, or were, a medical resident (interne), or you are a chef de clinique-assistant (CCA), assistant hospitalo-universitaire (AHU), midwife, physiotherapist or advanced-practice nurse. You do not need a doctor's qualification (thèse d'exercice).
• PhD stage: You are enrolled in the first or second year of a science doctorate at a French university for 2026-2027.
• Field: Any area of biology and health. There is no theme restriction.
• Lab: Your host lab is a recognised, independent research team in France, attached to a public research or higher-education body (Inserm, CNRS, CEA, a university and so on). The lab may only submit one such application per round.
• No double claim: You cannot apply for this and an FRM doctoral contract at the same time.

How to apply

You apply yourself online through the FRM Synto portal. Applications open on 19 February 2026 and close on 19 March 2026 at 16:00 Paris time. Late applications are rejected. Your PhD supervisor and team leader confirm their agreement through the same portal, and the FRM scientific council decides on 18-19 June 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This award targets a specific group: medical trainees and named paramedic professions moving into research, with a Master 2 recherche and an accredited French lab already lined up. That narrows the field sharply compared with open PhD funding. If you fit those exact conditions and have a supervisor and host team ready to back you, your prospects are solid. Prepare the lab agreements early.