IRD-Institut de recherche pour le développement - Research grants for doctoral theses in a Southern country

ARTS doctoral research grant (IRD)

You will receive a monthly living allowance of up to 36 months to help with the costs of your PhD research. The amount depends on where you are based. It ranges from around 300 EUR to 855 EUR per month in most partner countries to around 1,770 euros for stays in France. You will also receive an additional 200 euros per month if you are working in another country in the Global South. In addition to the funding, you will receive social security and health insurance, one return flight per year between your research locations, support with finding accommodation in France, and access to the IRD’s research networks and training opportunities. The fellowship is administered by the French Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) with the aim of training the next generation of researchers in partner countries in the Global South.

Who can apply

• Where you are from: You are a national of an IRD partner country in the Global South, for example in sub-Saharan Africa or South America.
• Degree: You hold a Master’s degree in a research-related field or an equivalent qualification.
• Field of study: All disciplines are welcome.
• Your project: Your PhD topic is suitable for a research collaboration between an IRD team and one or more research teams in the Global South. You will develop it in collaboration with a supervisor within an IRD unit.
• Where you work: Your work plan involves spending time both in your home country and in a third country (another country in the South, France or another country in the North). You will spend at least 2 months abroad and no more than 6 months a year in France.
• No double salary: You cannot receive a salary at the same time. If you are employed, your employer must grant you leave of absence.
• Bonus points: Projects will be given priority if two universities jointly supervise the PhD (a ‘cotutelle’) and if co-funding has been secured. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.

How to apply

First, you should find a supervisor at an IRD research unit and work out the details of the project together. The supervisor then submits it to the IRD by 6 May. The scientific departments review the application, and the supervisors make the final decision. Funding begins in the year following your application.

How realistic are your chances?

Every year, between 30 and 50 scholarships are awarded. You cannot apply on your own: first, an IRD supervisor must propose and support your project. Finding a supervisor is therefore the real hurdle. If you have a strong Master’s degree, a clear research topic that fits within an existing North-South partnership, and a supervisor who is committed to driving the project forward, your prospects are good. Preference is given to co-funded projects or projects involving joint supervision (cotutelle).