CNES PDOC+ (Allocations de Recherche Doctorales et Postdoctorales)

What you get

You get a paid research contract of 2,957.70 EUR gross per month to do a PhD or a postdoc in space-related research in France. The pay is the same across the whole country. For postdocs, it does not change with your experience. The contract also comes with extra perks: a fully paid private health insurance plan (mutuelle), 95% of your public transport costs reimbursed instead of the usual 50%, and holiday pay. A PhD contract runs for 1 year and can be renewed twice, up to 3 years in total. A postdoc contract runs for 1 year and can be renewed once, up to 2 years. Contracts usually start on 1 October. The funder is CNES, France's national space agency, which awards around 130 of these each year (about 100 PhD and 30 postdoc contracts).

Who can apply

• Your level: For a PhD contract, you hold a Master 2 or a diploma from a French Grande École (engineering school). For a postdoc contract, you already hold a doctorate.
• Field of study: Your topic must fit the space sector. This covers engineering (orbital systems, launch and propulsion), sciences that use space data (astronomy and exploration, Earth observation, microgravity science), and social sciences and humanities linked to space, such as law, history, economics, sociology and psychology.
• Where you go: You work in a French research laboratory, or at CNES itself for some postdocs. PhD projects must be co-funded by an industrial or institutional partner.
• Nationality: Open to all nationalities.
• Age and income: No age limit and no financial-need test.

How to apply

You cannot apply freely. You must respond to a specific advertised topic. In the first quarter of the year (usually February to March) CNES posts the openings on its recruitment site, where you filter by "Contrat" and then "Domaine". It does not accept spontaneous applications. For some postdoc topics with an open subject, shortlisted candidates defend their research project before a scientific committee at an interview held in May.

How realistic are your chances?

With around 130 contracts a year and a clear focus on space research, this is a sizeable programme. But it is aimed only at strong PhD and postdoc candidates whose work fits a listed topic. Your prospects rest on how well your profile and project match an advertised opening and on solid academic references. Applying to a well-matched topic, rather than a popular open one, gives you a smaller field to compete against.