SOFCOT- French Society for Orthopaedic Surgery - Master Grants

SOFCOT Master Grant

You will receive 20,000 EUR for one year to fund a research master’s degree abroad. The amount increases to 22,000 EUR if you are studying outside the EU. The funding covers your salary during the research year as well as the costs of the research project you have agreed with your laboratory supervisor. The scholarship is provided by SOFCOT, the French Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. You may combine it with the society’s APCORT scholarship.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a French national.
• Membership: You are a junior member of SOFCOT via the CJO (Association of Young Orthopaedic Surgeons) and have paid your membership fee to date.
• Field: You work in orthopaedics and trauma surgery.
• What you fund: You are preparing for a research master’s programme outside the standard paid research year and have officially applied to your faculty (UFR) for a research year.
• Lab place: You have received a written letter of acceptance from the head of the laboratory where you will be carrying out your research.

How to apply

Please email your complete application documents as a single PDF file to SOFCOT. These must be received no later than one month before the Grants Committee meeting and six months before your planned departure. The Committee meets twice a year, in January and June. For the call for applications on 15 January 2027, the deadline is 15 December 2026. Please note that the grant will not be paid retrospectively for time already spent.

How realistic are your chances?

This scholarship is very selective. You must be a French orthopaedic surgeon in training, a current member of the CJO, and already scheduled to spend a year conducting research in a laboratory that has accepted you. This limits the pool of applicants to a small, specific group, and several scholarships are awarded each year. If you clearly meet these criteria and apply on your first attempt, your chances are good. First-time applications are given priority.