French-Italian University - Vinci Programme-Doctoral contracts for jointly supervised French-Italian doctoral dissertations

What you get

This funding supports a three-year doctorate programme run jointly by a French and an Italian university. Students will be awarded a dual PhD or a joint PhD. There are two types of funding:

• French side: a PhD student contract, which is remunerated in accordance with the statutory standard rate.
• Italian side: a co-funded three-year scholarship worth approximately 1,685 EUR per month. The funding body contributes a total of up to approximately 78,509 euros gross per scholarship; the remainder is paid by the host university.

You will spend at least six months at the partner university abroad and may split this period into shorter stays. Funding is provided by the Université Franco-Italienne (UFI/UIF), an institution jointly founded by France and Italy, which was established in 1998. It makes a certain number of places available in each intake.

Who can apply

• Who submits: You do not submit the application yourself. The director of a doctoral school (‘école doctorale’) or a person authorised by him or her submits the application on both the French and Italian sides.
• Institution: A French and an Italian university are taking part. Both must be state-recognised and authorised to award doctoral degrees.
• Field of study: All disciplines are welcome.
• Set-up: The PhD programme must be a genuine ‘cotutelle’: two supervisors, one at each partner university, will jointly supervise your thesis.
• Anonymity: The submitted project must not name or identify the prospective PhD student. The PhD school will select the candidate once the project has been chosen.
• Language for Italian scholarships: Your French will be assessed as part of the selection process. Knowledge of another foreign language may also be required.

How to apply

The doctoral school submits the application online via the UFI website, in both French and Italian. The application period begins in mid-December. The deadline is 16 February at 12:00 Paris time. The results will be announced at the end of June. The UFI/UIF Executive Board makes the decision and may, if necessary, consult external experts.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a highly competitive field. Only a handful of PhD contracts and Italian scholarships are awarded each year, and your application must be submitted by a doctoral school, not by you personally. If you can already demonstrate a compelling Franco-Italian PhD project with committed supervisors on both sides, your prospects are good. Projects on current topics such as sustainability, AI or cooperation in the Mediterranean region, or those carried out in collaboration with partners from the business sector, have an advantage over otherwise equally qualified applicants.