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Call for Doctoral Project Proposals: Nexus – 2026 Cycle

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ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners1 aimed at establishing an off-campus, interdisciplinary institute for the study, training, and science-society interaction regarding the environmental determinants of human health. A winner of the ExcellenceS (PIA4) call for proposals and supported by the Occitanie Region, ExposUM is funded to the tune of €46.4 million for the period 2022–2030.

Download the list of results from the Nexus 2026 Call for Proposals

Scientific scope

The exposome refers to the set of environmental and social factors whose specific effects, combined with individuals’ intrinsic characteristics, underlie the onset, progression, and severity of infectious and noncommunicable diseases in humans. In this sense, it is the environmental counterpart of the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual’s lifetime.

Objectives

The training program at the ExposUM Institute aims to:

  1. Breaking down barriers in education (interdisciplinarity)
  2. Help improve skills
  3. Strengthen ties with countries in the Global South

To this end, several initiatives will be organized, including the funding of doctoral fellowships as part of a program that organizes them into interdisciplinary networks, hereinafter referred to as Doctoral Nexus.

The Doctoral Nexus are networks of 3 to 4 doctoral students from different disciplines (e.g. , Social Sciences – Mathematical Modeling – Biology) and affiliated with at least two different research units. They will be funded on the basis of:

  • a joint research project, developed by the principal investigator in collaboration with the participating thesis advisors, encompassing all disciplines, and aimed at studying one or more aspects of the exposome as defined above,
  • an individual, discipline-specific thesis topic for each participating doctoral student.

Each dissertation will be funded from the outset for a period of four years. This additional year is justified by the implementation of specific training initiatives and the time allocated to interdisciplinary work. In particular, opportunities for collaboration between laboratories will be encouraged.

The doctoral programs atthe ExposUM Institute will be strengthened by the implementation of an additional joint educational program focused on methodology and skills development—particularly in interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity—run under the auspices of the ExposUM Institute, without replacing the training offered by the doctoral schools. In this context, doctoral students in a network will be tasked, during their third year, with the scientific and logistical organization of a one-day event (e.g., seminar, conference), for which the Institute will provide a grant.

Calendar

  • Call for Applications: Doctoral Nexus Round 4: November 12, 2025
  • Deadline for project submissions: January 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CET
  • Results announcement: second half of February 2026
  • Candidate interviews: early June 2026
  • Start of thesis work: September–December 2026

Funding Terms

For the2026 cycle(the fourth round of this call for proposals), the Institute proposes awarding up to 15 grants (for example, 5 Nexus projects, each comprising 3 dissertations), funded by the ANR and the Occitanie Region.

This funding covers doctoral stipends for four years (approximately €167,000) as well asoverhead costs. These include the costs of additional training programs organized by the Institute, the organization of the scientific event, and operating expenses. This funding covers doctoral salaries for four years (approximately €167,000) as well asoverhead costs. These include the costs of additional training programs organized by the Institute, the organization of the scientific event, and operating expenses. The operating budget is allocated to each thesis advisor (approximately €20,000 per thesis).

Eligibility Criteria

Please note that failure to meet these criteria will result in the automatic disqualification of the application.

  • The project must be led by a staff member affiliated with a UR, UMR, or UMI2that is part of the ExposUM Institute consortium and employed by one of the consortium’s partners3. Thesis advisors must also be affiliated with a UR, UMR, or UMI within the Institut ExposUM consortium. The UAR, UExp, UPS, and US4, in particular, are not eligible to apply for this call for proposals5 and cannot host doctoral students.
  • Doctoral students must be enrolled at the University of Montpellier as their primary institution. Consequently, thesis advisors must be affiliated with one of the UM doctoral schools listed in this call6AND candidates must be enrolled in a discipline for which UM awards a degree.
  • The project must involve collaboration between at least two different research units (UR, UMR, or UMI within the ExposUM Institute consortium).
  • Each thesis must have a different thesis advisor (in the exceptional case of an international joint supervision arrangement, the same co-advisor for two theses may be accepted upon justification).
  • The proposed dissertation projects must be four years in duration.
  • Doctoral contracts must begin between September and December 2026; staggered start dates will not be accepted.
  • Each doctoral student must work on their dissertation on a full-time basis.
  • The project should aim to generate knowledge related to the exposome —that is, any environmental factor that influences human health in the broadest sense.

Applicants may apply to this call for proposals concurrently with an application to the Research call for proposals. However, the project must be viable even if Research funding is not awarded. In particular, projects submitted to multiple calls simultaneously must clearly state this and explain the relevance and complementarity of the requested funding, as well as the project’s viability in the event that only one of the grants is awarded.

Submission Guidelines

The project proposal must be written in French or English using the simplified application form available for download at the top of the page, following the instructions provided therein.

The principal investigator must submit the application via email, copying the unit director and the advisors for each thesis, with the subject line [AAP Doctoral Nexus 2026_Principal Investigator’s Last Name First Name].

Before 2:00 p.m. CET on January 23, 2026.

Selection Process

Complete applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the scientific project and the proposed individual research topics, as well as their alignment with the Institute’s priorities and research themes (see Selection Criteria). This evaluation will be conducted by a committee composed of cluster directors or doctoral school directors and representatives from the ExposUM Institute’s Executive Committee (CoDir) or Scientific Advisory Board (COSS). The applicant is invited to provide a brief justification of the relevance of the proposed Nexus in light of these selection criteria.

The results will be announced in the second half of February 2026, to allow time for the selection of candidates.

The recipients of the selected Nexus grants agree to take all necessary steps to identify candidates to fill the thesis topics that will be funded.

The selection of doctoral candidates will be approved by the doctoral schools, which requires the proposed topics to be published in advance. The thesis topics will be publicized by the thesis advisors and the Institute.

  • Thesis advisors will be responsible for submitting their thesis topics to the relevant doctoral program and ensuring that they are published on ADUM, if applicable. We encourage thesis advisors to share their thesis project descriptions with their usual networks (master’s programs, etc.).
  • The Institute’s project team will be responsible for posting the job openings on Euraxess and the UM website, as well as through other internal communication channels (LinkedIn, newsletters, etc.).

The selection of doctoral candidates will be approved by the doctoral schools, which requires the proposed topics to be published in advance. The thesis topics will be publicized by the thesis advisors and the Institute.

  • Thesis advisors will be responsible for submitting their thesis topics to the relevant doctoral program and ensuring that they are published on ADUM, if applicable. We encourage thesis advisors to share their thesis project descriptions with their usual networks (master’s programs, etc.).
  • The Institute’s project team will be responsible for posting the job openings on Euraxess, on the UM website, and through other internal communication channels (LinkedIn, newsletters, etc.).

Candidates wishing to apply for a project will be asked to submit their application materials to the relevant Nexus project lead, copying the ExposUM Institute. Contact information for submitting applications will be provided in the project descriptions.

The coordinators will conduct an initial screening of applications in consultation with the Nexus thesis advisors (a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 per topic), who will then be interviewed by a committee composed exclusively of representatives from the doctoral schools and the ExposUM Institute, which will rank the applications for each topic in mid-May.

Selection criteria

(for reference only)

  • clear identification of the scope of the exposome being explored,
  • an innovative and relevant interdisciplinary approach to the topic: in this regard, the involvement of various doctoral schools within a network will be highly valued,
  • methodological qualities,
  • potential impacts (both fundamental and applied),
  • feasibility (scientific and financial resources already secured to ensure the successful completion of the dissertation),
  • coordination of individual projects,
  • relevance in light of the ExposUM Institute’s strategic priorities (establishing new partnerships, the One Health approach, Global Health and Southern Health, and promoting the involvement of the humanities and social sciences)

Support Program for the Integration of the Humanities and Social Sciences

If candidates interested in forming a Nexus would like support in integrating the humanities and social sciences into their Nexus, Research Area 2 of the ExposUM Institute, led by Aurélie Binot, offers guidance and incubation support.

You can request this support by sending an email (subject line: [Nexus SHS]).

Contact

For any questions regarding this call for proposals, please send an email (subject line: [Contact Nexus]).

Commitments

The carriers agree to:

  • Organize regular meetings (at least three times a year) with Nexus thesis advisors and doctoral students, and provide an annual report on the Institute’s activities.
  • To adhere, in the design and implementation of the project submitted in response to this call for proposals, the values and principles of scientific integrity intended to ensure the honesty and scientific rigor of all research work, as referred to in Article L.211-2 of the Research Code and set forth in the National Code of Ethics for Research Professions and the University of Montpellier’s Charter on Scientific Integrity.
  • Comply with the Nagoya Protocol, where applicable.
  • Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, the ExposUM Institute, the Occitanie Region, and/or the ERDF in all documents related to the implementation of the project. Specific guidelines regarding the project leaders’ communication obligations will be provided to them.
  • Submit an annual report and a final report to the Institute via email no later than two months after the project’s completion (financial statement and summary report), which may be used in the University’s communications materials in accordance with a provided template. A project guide detailing management procedures and reporting requirements will be sent to the selected project leaders.
  • Apply the current UM publication guidelines to all scientific outputs; comply with the provisions regarding open science and the Digital Republic Act (open access publication). The directors of UM-affiliated laboratories shall deposit the full text of publications inthe open repository.
  • Undertake the necessary steps to obtain the required research authorizations and approvals in regulated sectors (including genetically modified organisms, the use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, the use of genetic resources and the sharing of resulting benefits, and bioethics).

Research units that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium7

ABSys, AGAP Institute, AIDA, AMAP, Analyses, ART-Dev, ASTRE, BC2M, BCM, BIOLuM, BioWooEB, CBGP, CBS, CDE, CEFE, CEE-M, CEMIPAI, CEPEL, CERCOP, ChimEco, CREAM, CRBM, CSUM, DEFE, DGIMI, DIADE, DIASCOPE, DMEM, ECO&SOLS, ECOTRON, EDPFM, EDSM, ESPACE-DEV, EuroMov DHM, F&S, FHU Evocan 2, FHU Neurexpo, FHU Regenhab 2, FHU TIE, G-EAU, GECO, Génopolys, GM, HortSys, HSM, IATE, IBMM, ICGM, ICS, ICSM, IDEDH, IDESP, IEM, IES, IGF, IGH, IGMM, IHD, IHPE, IMAG, IMAGINE, INM, INNOVATION, INTERTRYP, IPSiM, IRCM, IRIM, IRMB, ISDM, ISEM, ITAP, L2C, LBE, LBN, LDP, LEPSE, LICeM, LIRDEF, LIRMM, LISAH, LMGC, LPHI, LUPM, Maraîchage, MARBEC, MEEB, MISTEA, MIVEGEC, MMDN, MOISA, MRE, MRM, MSH Sud, OREME, PAC Chimie Balard, PCCEI, Pech Rouge, PHIM, PhyMedExp, QualiSud, R&R, SantESiH, SELMET, SENS, SPO, Sys2diag, TETIS, TransVIHMI, VASSAL, VBIC

  1. UM, Occitanie Region, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CIRAD, INSERM, Montpellier University Hospital, ICM, Institut Agro Montpellier, ENSCM, Ifremer, INRIA. ↩︎
  2. Research Unit, Joint Research Unit, International Joint Unit. ↩︎
  3. The project leader must already be an official member of the organization in question—or must become one by October 2026 at the latest—and, in the case of contract staff, their contract with that organization must remain in effect until the project’s scheduled completion date. The project may have one or more partner organizations. However, only organizations included in the list of eligible organizations for this call may receive funding under the project. ↩︎
  4. Research Support Unit, Experimental Unit, Internal Service Unit, Service Unit. ↩︎
  5. The research units [UR, UMR, UMI, UAR, UExp, UPS, and US] of the ExposUM Institute consortium are listed at the bottom of the page. ↩︎
  6. ED 58 Languages, Literatures, Cultures, and Civilizations [LLC]
    ED 60 Territories, Time, Societies, and Development [TTSD]
    ED 166 Information Structures and Systems [I2S],
    ED 168 Chemical and Biological Sciences for Health [CBS2],
    ED 231 Economics and Management [EDEG],
    ED 459 Chemical Sciences Balard [SCB],
    ED 461 Law and Political Science [DSP],
    ED 463 Human Movement Sciences [SMH],
    ED 584 GAIA (Biodiversity, Agriculture, Food, Environment, Earth, Water). ↩︎
  7. Please note that only UR, UMR, and UMI units may apply for this call for proposals. UAR, UExp, US, and UPS units are not eligible. ↩︎

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