Chateaubriand Fellowship Program 2017, France

Publish Date: Dec 28, 2016

Deadline: Jan 27, 2017

About the Chateaubriand Fellowship Program

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who wish to conduct research in France for a period ranging from 4 to 9 months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, through a collaborative process involving expert evaluators in both countries.

The program is divided into two subprograms:

1. The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Biology-Health (STEM) for doctoral students aims to initiate or reinforce collaborations, partnerships or joint projects between French and American research teams. This fellowship is offered by the Office for Science & Technology (OST) of the Embassy of France in partnership with American universities and French research organizations such as Inserm and Inria. It is a partner of the National Science Foundation’s GROW program .

Eligibility

  • You must be currently working on your PhD
  • You must be a registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required)
  • All STEM and Health research topics are eligible
  • Research should be performed in a French laboratory (university, engineering school, public research laboratory...)
  • Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis
  • Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution
  • Co-sponsorship by a candidate’s American university or French host institution is encouraged

Calendar for the 2017-2018 academic year

  • Application deadline: January 27, 2017 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST
  • Award Notification: May 2017
  • The fellowship in France for the 2017-2018 academic year must start between September 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018.
  • The call for applications for the 2018-2019 academic year will open in October 2017.

Benefits

  • Monthly allowance (up to 1400 euros/month, depending on other sources of funding)
  • Round trip ticket to France
  • Support for health insurance abroad

Required information/documents for the online application

  • Contact Information
  • List of degrees received and copies of transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
  • List of publications
  • List of past fellowships received
  • List of other fellowships for which you are applying
  • Summary of your thesis research in the US
  • Summary of research to be performed in France
  • Detailed description of your thesis research in the US including your project in France (3 pages).
  • Letter of agreement from your US thesis advisor agreeing that part of your thesis will be co-supervised by a French colleague. This letter should also highlight your work, explain how a stay in France would be useful to both the lab and your project and how it will strengthen the existing or planned collaboration between your home and host laboratories.
  • Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France agreeing to co-supervise part of your thesis. This letter should also describe the existing or planned collaboration between the home and host laboratories and include information about what your stay in France will bring to the host lab and your project.
  • At least one letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor.
  • Contact information of host laboratory in France.
  • If your application is linked to an existing French-American collaboration, please be ready to provide information on this collaboration.

Selection criteria

  • Academic relevance of the research project
  • Student’s command of the subject
  • Benefits of a research trip to France for the future of the collaboration
  • Background of the research collaboration
  • Contribution of the project to France/US academic exchange

Identifying a host laboratory

It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and contact a French laboratory that would like to collaborate with your university, laboratory or thesis advisor.

2. The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) targets outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who seek to engage in research in France, in any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences. This fellowship is offered by the Cultural Services of the Embassy of France. HSS Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, using a binational collaborative process involving expert evaluators from both countries.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Candidates must be currently working on their Ph.D. 
  • Candidates do not have to be U.S. citizens, but they must be enrolled in an American university. However, French citizens are not eligible to apply. 
  • Candidates must obtain a letter of recommendation from their advisor(s) in the U.S., as well as a letter of invitation from a professor affiliated with a French university or research institution. Please be in touch with your supervisor in France as early as possible. The history of the research relationship will be taken into account in the review process.

There are three types of fellowships:

  • Fall Fellowship: 4 months, starts October 1st. 
  • Spring Fellowship: 4 months, starts February 1st. 
  • Year-long Fellowship: 8 months, starts October 1st.

Applicants’ preference will be taken into account but not necessarily accommodated.

BENEFITS

HSS Chateaubriand fellows receive:

  • A monthly stipend of 1500 € 
  • Health insurance for the entire duration of the fellowship 
  • A round-trip ticket to France

SELECTION PROCESS

Each application receives two evaluations: one from a French scholar, the other from an American scholar.
The candidates’ applications and their scholars’ recommendations are then reviewed by a final selection committee.

The criteria taken into account include:

  • Academic Relevance of the Research Project 
  • Beneficial Effects of a Research Trip to France 
  • Student’s command of the subject 
  • Contribution of the Project to the Global France/US Academic Exchange Context

CALENDAR 

  • October 17 : Opening of the 2016 Chateaubriand Call for applications 
  • January 27, 2017 : Deadline for application (12:00 pm EST) 
  • February to April : Bilateral selection process 
  • May 13, 2017 : Communication of results via email.

APPLICATION PROCESS

In order to access and complete the electronic application, please follow the steps below.

  1. Create an account
  2. Read the guidelines
  3. Sign in with the user name and password sent to you via email.
  4. Complete the application and upload the necessary attachments (Note that you can save your application as you go and return to complete it at a later time).
  5. Submit your completed application. You will not be able to change your data after final submission.
  6. Make sure that you receive an email confirming that your application has been submitted.

REQUESTED DOCUMENTS

In addition to the online application form, applicant must provide some documents. Letters can be provided either in French or English. French proficiency is not requested, but a short summary of the research project in French shall be included in the online application.

Mandatory documents

  • Description of the research project: this document should present shortly your research project. Maximum 10,000 characters (space included). The bibliography is not requested.
  • Invitation letter from your French supervisor: this letter should mention how the Chateaubriand applicant will be hosted and included in the French laboratory or research team. It could mention works, papers or research the applicant intends to do with the French part and how the support to the Chateaubriand applicant will strengthen existing or future collaborations between French and American higher education institutions, (i.e. the applicant is welcomed as part of a joint thesis, in the framework of an exchange program or a cooperation agreement). The letter must mention the history of the research relationship.
  • PhD advisor’s agreement letter: As an official document, the letter must be written on university letterhead and contain the signature of the advisor.

Optional documents

  • Second and Third recommendation letters: the applicant can request up to two optional recommendation letters. Referees must be different than the PhD advisor and the French supervisor. 
  • Joint supervision Agreeement (co-tutelle): If your PhD is done as a joint agreement between a US and a French university (co-tutelle), please provide the official agreement between your Ph.D. advisor and your host professor for a joint supervision.

For more information click "Further official information" below.


This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

https://www.chateaubriand-fellowship.org/

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