Call for proposals for mirror doctoral contracts 2026
6 mirrored doctoral projects
A mirrored doctoral project enables two distinct disciplinary theses to be articulated within a common multidisciplinary project.
The aim is to approach the same research project through two different disciplines, to promote multidisciplinarity. The methods and references specific to each of the disciplines concerned will therefore have to be mobilized.
This requires close collaboration between thesis directors (co-supervisors) in order to draw up, in pairs, a project definition and a coordinated response to the IDIL call for projects.
The IDIL graduate program is funding six mirror doctoral projects for the 2026 academic year, representing a total of 12 doctoral contracts over a period of three years.
In short, a mirrored doctoral project is :
financing
The doctoral contract is a 3-year contract which allows the doctoral student to be employed by a public institution to complete his/her thesis.
IDIL funding covers the gross salary of doctoral researchers, including payroll charges, as well as environmental costs of €5k per year for the host laboratory (i.e. a cost of €15k over 3 years per doctoral student).
For the 2025 campaign, the IDIL program is proposing to award 12 doctoral contracts for 6 multidisciplinary mirror projects.
Note: The average salary for a doctoral student is approximately €1,700 net per month.
eligibility
An IDIL mirror doctoral project must be co-developed/co-written by two HDR thesis supervisors affiliated with two separate doctoral schools (UM or Institut Agro) and two different laboratories (UMR or UR).
It includes a common introduction presenting the multidisciplinary project, followed by a description of two thesis topics in two different disciplines, which clarify the two approaches that will be taken during the two funded doctoral contracts. To ensure that each thesis is clearly multidisciplinary in nature, the co-supervisor of the first doctoral contract will be the co-supervisor of the second doctoral contract, and vice versa.
IDIL multidisciplinary mirror doctoral projects must articulate two thesis projects in the following disciplines around the three pillars Care, Protect, Nourish:
- Agricultural science
- Biology Health
- Plant biology
- Chemistry
- Ecology and evolution
- Economy
- Electronics
- Epidemiology
- Microbiology
- Political Science
- Management
- Modeling
- Earth Sciences
- Water science
- Sport and movement sciences
terms and conditions of deposit
Applicants for IDIL mirror doctoral projects must inform their team leaders and unit directors before submitting their project.
The project must be written in French or English, using the downloadable file below, and following the instructions given therein.
Directors are invited to submit their applications to the IDIL graduate program via the dedicated submission site (the submission module will be accessible from December 15, 2025) – Deadline February 9, 2026, 6 p.m. CET.
If you have any questions, please contact us by email at rf.re1765262969illep1765262969tnomu1765262969@maet1765262969-lidi1765262969
evaluation
The scientific quality of the overall project will be assessed by the University of Montpellier's Research Commission, in the presence of the IDIL project leaders and representatives of the Institut Agro.
Students will be selected by a 7-member doctoral researchers recruitment committee for each of the selected projects:
• 1 IDIL representative, or their representative
• 2 thesis supervisors concerned
• 1 representative from each of the doctoral schools concerned (2 ED members)
• 1 representative from each of the departments of the laboratories concerned (2 UMR members)
3 candidates will be auditioned per subject (i.e. 6 in total for a mirror project).
calendar
- Campaign launch: December 8, 2025
- Opening of the submission platform: December 15, 2025
- Deadline for submitting thesis projects on the IDIL website: February 9, 2026
- Dissemination of results from mirror-funded IDIL projects: Early April 2026
- Student auditions: May 2026
- Announcement of results to students: End of May 2026
- Start of thesis: October 2026 (duration: 3 years)