Call for Proposals: 2026 Mirror Doctoral Contracts
6 Mirror-Image Doctoral Projects
A mirrored doctoral project allows two distinct disciplinary theses to be integrated into a single multidisciplinary project.
The goal is to approach the same research project from the perspective of two different disciplines in order to promote a multidisciplinary approach. 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, working in pairs, they can draft the project description 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 a doctoral student to be employed by a public institution to work on their dissertation.
IDIL funding covers the gross salary of the doctoral researchers, including payroll taxes, as well as overhead costs 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 plans to award 12 doctoral fellowship grants for six paired multidisciplinary projects.
Note: The average salary for a doctoral student is approximately 1,700 euros net per month.
eligibility
An IDIL mirror doctoral project must be jointly developed and written by two HDR-certified thesis advisors affiliated with two separate doctoral schools (UM , or 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—that clarify the two approaches to be pursued during the two funded doctoral contracts. To ensure that each dissertation is clearly oriented toward multidisciplinarity, the 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 Sciences
- Sports and Movement Sciences
Submission Guidelines
Students working on an IDIL mirror doctoral project must inform their team leaders and unit directors that they have submitted their project before actually submitting it.
The project must be written in French or English based on the document available for download below, following the instructions provided therein.
Directors 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 Montpellier’s “ Research ” Committee in the presence of the IDIL project leaders and representatives from the Institut Agro.
Students will be selected by an admissions committee from the “ doctoral researchers ,” consisting 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 administrations (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 dissertation: October 2026 (3-year program)