CAF- National Fund for Family Allowances (France) - Grants for young researchers

What you get

The French Family Allowance Fund (Cnaf), the national umbrella organisation for the CAF social security network, supports young researchers in two ways.

Initially, a three-year PhD contract. This is a fixed-term post under the CIFRE programme, in which a PhD student is assigned to an organisation. You will receive a gross monthly salary of approximately 1,250 EUR throughout the three years. You will divide your time between the Cnaf and your research laboratory, spending at least 20% there in each case. Only one such contract is awarded per year.

Secondly: Up to six prizes for an academic article based on your own research findings. The main prize is 1,500 EUR, with the remaining prizes each worth 1,000 EUR. The winner of the first prize will be offered the opportunity to have their work published in the CNAF’s journal, the ‘Revue des politiques sociales et familiales’. You may apply for both the contract and the prizes in the same year.

Who can apply

• Topic: Your research focuses on family and social policy, or on social issues relating to families or poverty. Where studies cover other countries, they must include a genuine comparison with France.
• Field of study: For the PhD programme: Sociology, Anthropology/Ethnology, Political Science, Demography or Economics. For the awards: these subject areas, as well as Law, Developmental or Social Psychology, Education, History and Geography.
• Degree (contract): You hold a research-oriented Master’s degree 2 from a French higher education institution, which you obtained within the last three years. You are commencing your PhD at a French higher education institution authorised to award doctoral degrees.
• Level (prizes): You are submitting an article based on your master’s thesis 2, your current doctoral thesis or a doctoral thesis you have recently defended. You must be the sole author.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, provided they meet the requirements regarding a French qualification and a French higher education institution.
• Language: All documents must be in French.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the form on caf.fr. The deadline for applications is 15 September. A panel comprising members of the Cnaf Executive Board and academics will assess the shortlisted candidates for the PhD contract. The top three candidates will be invited to an interview, and a project will be put forward for final approval of funding.

How realistic are your chances?

The PhD scholarship is awarded once a year to a candidate with a very specific profile: a French research master’s degree, commencement of the PhD programme in the autumn of the same year, and a topic relating to family and social policy. Competition for this single place is fierce. The article awards are easier to win – up to six are awarded – but here too, an original, unpublished research paper in the relevant field is required. If your work focuses on family and social policy and you are able to write in French, you will improve your chances by applying for both awards in the same year.