IHEDN-Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale - Financial support for doctorate students

Financial support for doctorate students

You will receive a grant of one-off grant of up to 4,000 EUR to cover the costs of fieldwork as part of your PhD in a country in the Global South. The money is intended for research expenses: travel costs, library fees, books and other costs relating to your dissertation. It will be paid in two instalments. You will receive 80% before your departure and 20% once you have submitted a brief field report upon your return. The programme is run jointly by IHEDN (the French Institute for Defence Studies) and the Fondation Pierre Ledoux Jeunesse Internationale.

Who can apply

• Level: You are enrolled on a PhD programme.
• University: You are studying at a French state university or a higher education institution authorised to award doctorates.
• Age: You are under 35.
• Thesis topic: Your research relates to defence, security, international relations, armaments, foreign policy or the defence economy.
• Field of study: You work in the humanities or social sciences, for example in the fields of law, political science, history, geography, philosophy, economics, sociology, anthropology or business intelligence.
• Where you research: Your fieldwork is taking place in a country in the Global South.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are eligible to apply, provided they are studying at a French university.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the IHEDN form by 8 March. You must submit a CV, an outline of your research project of up to five pages, a detailed financial plan specifying any existing funding, and a supporting letter signed by your PhD supervisor. The decision is made by a panel, which does not provide a justification. The successful applicants will be notified in April.

How realistic are your chances?

This scholarship is aimed at a narrowly defined group of applicants. You must be undertaking a PhD at a French institution, your research topic must be in the field of defence or security, and you must be conducting fieldwork in the Global South. Very few meet all three criteria at the same time. If your doctoral thesis clearly corresponds to these topics and you submit a precise, well-justified budget, your chances are good. A clear, well-justified project is more important here than the size of the applicant pool.