Call for Proposals: 2026 Dual-Track Doctoral Contracts
6 parallel doctoral projects
A mirrored doctoral project allows two distinct disciplinary theses to be integrated into a single multidisciplinary project.
The aim is to approach the same research project from the perspective of two different disciplines in order to promote interdisciplinarity. The methods and references specific to each of the disciplines involved must therefore be drawn upon.
To achieve this, close collaboration between thesis advisors (the co-supervisors) is necessary so that they can work together to draft the project proposal and a coordinated response to the IDIL Call for Proposals.
For the 2026 academic year, the IDIL graduate program is funding six paired doctoral projects, for a total of 12 doctoral contracts over a three-year period.
In summary, a mirrored doctoral project is:
funding
The doctoral contract is a three-year contract that allows doctoral students to be employed by a public institution while working on their dissertation.
IDIL funding covers the gross salary of doctoral researchers, including payroll taxes, as well as operating expenses of up to €5,000 per year for the host laboratory (for a total cost of €15,000 over three years per doctoral student).
For the 2025 cycle, the IDIL program is offering 12 doctoral fellowship grants for six paired multidisciplinary projects.
Note: The average monthly take-home pay for a doctoral student is approximately 1,700 euros.
eligibility
An IDIL mirror doctoral project must be jointly developed and written by two HDR-certified thesis advisors affiliated with two separate doctoral schools (atUM Institut Agro) and two different laboratories (UMR or UR).
It includes a common introduction that outlines the multidisciplinary project, followed by a description of two thesis topics in two different disciplines, which clarify the two research approaches to be pursued during the two funded doctoral contracts. To ensure that each thesis is clearly oriented toward multidisciplinarity, the thesis co-advisor for the first doctoral contract will serve as the co-advisor for the second doctoral contract, and vice versa.
IDIL multidisciplinary mirror doctoral projects must combine two thesis projects in the following disciplines, centered on the three pillars of Care, Protection, and Nutrition:
- Agronomy
- Biology and Health
- Plant Biology
- Chemistry
- Ecology and Evolution
- Economy
- Electronics
- Epidemiology
- Microbiology
- Political Science
- Management
- Modeling
- Earth Sciences
- Water Science
- Sports and Movement Sciences
submission guidelines
Students pursuing an IDIL mirror doctoral project must inform their team leaders and unit directors that they are submitting their proposal before doing so.
The project must be written in French or English using the downloadable materials provided below, following the instructions included therein.
Principal investigators are invited to submit their applications to the IDIL graduate program via the dedicated submission portal (the submission module will be available starting December 15, 2025) – Deadline: February 9, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. CET.
If you have any questions, please contact us by email at
evaluation
The scientific quality of the overall project will be evaluated by the University of Research Committee in the presence of IDIL project leaders and representatives from the Institut Agro.
Students will be selected by a doctoral researchers recruitment committee doctoral researchers of seven members for each of the selected projects:
• 1 IDIL representative
• 2 relevant thesis advisors
• 1 representative from each of the relevant doctoral schools (2 doctoral school members)
• 1 representative from each of the relevant laboratory departments (2 UMR members)
Three candidates will be interviewed per topic (for a total of six for a mirror project)
calendar
- Campaign launch: December 8, 2025
- Submission portal opens: December 15, 2025
- Deadline for submitting thesis proposals on the IDIL website: February 9, 2026
- Release of results from funded IDIL mirror projects: Early April 2026
- Student Auditions: May 2026
- Announcement of results to students: Late May 2026
- Start of the thesis program: October 2026 (3-year program)