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Call for projects Junior Teams Campaign 2026

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ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners1 aimed at establishing an open, off-campus institute for research, training, and science-society interaction on the environmental determinants of human health. Winner of the ExcellenceS (PIA4) call for projects and supported by the Occitanie Region, ExposUM is funded to the tune of €46.4 million over the period 2022-2030.

Scientific scope

The exposome refers to all 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 to the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual's lifetime.

Objectives

The training component of the ExposUM Institute aims to:

  1. Breaking down barriers in education (interdisciplinarity)
  2. Contribute to improving skills
  3. Join the exposomics community at the University of Montpellier and its partners
  4. Strengthening ties with countries in the Global South

To this end, several initiatives are being organized, including the financing of junior teams, hereinafter referred to as Junior Teams.

The objective of the Junior Teams is to enable young researchers to form a small team of 3 to 5 people to work on a scientific project lasting 12 to 18 months, so that they can familiarize themselves with project management and team management, including supervising one or more master's or doctoral students working on the subject. The proposed team may be composed of several junior researchers and several students who may be assigned to another UMR.

Each selected project leader will receive an operating budget of up to €30,000, which may primarily cover internship allowances for master's students (~€600/month/student), but also research support services (e.g., clinical research assistant, engineer), mission/field expenses, or operating costs/laboratory equipment (excluding equipment costing more than €3,000).

The justification for the supervision of each member of staff involved (composition, time dedicated) must be provided. As the aim of this call is to give the project leader the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment as a supervisor and future leader, particular attention will be paid to the schedule of activities and the timeframe for achieving results on time.

Calendar

  • AAP Junior Teams Wave 1 publication: October 9, 2025
  • Deadline for receipt of projects: December 5, 2025, 2 p.m. CET
  • Announcement of results: late January – mid-February 2026

Financing terms and conditions

For the2025 campaign(first wave of this call for proposals), the Institute is offering six grants of €30,000 per team.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant must be a non-tenured staff member (e.g., postdoctoral fellow, ATER, CCU-AH) affiliated with a UR, UMR, or UMI.2 that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium or have been tenured in these same units for ≤ 2 years.

Submission guidelines

The proposal (~3 pages) must be written in French or English based on the simplified file (see below), following the instructions provided therein.

Junior Teams 2025 Application Form – DOCX 236 KBDownload

Send the file by the bearer, copying in the unit director, by email to rf.re1768814695illep1768814695tnomu1768814695@noit1768814695amrof1768814695-muso1768814695pxe1768814695 with [AAP Junior Teams 2025] in the subject line of the email.

Before December 5, 2026, 2 p.m. CET.

Selection procedure

Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the scientific project, the proposed supervision, and the alignment with the Institute's priorities and themes (see Selection Criteria). This evaluation will be conducted by a committee composed of representatives from the ExposUM Institute's Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Board.

Selection criteria

(for information purposes only)

  • student supervision
  • clear identification of the field of the exposome explored
  • interdisciplinarity
  • methodological skills
  • potential impacts (both fundamental and applied),
  • feasibility
  • relevance in light of the strategic priorities of the ExposUM Institute (initiation of new partnerships, One Health approach, Global Health and the South, promotion of the involvement of the Humanities and Social Sciences, integration of the UM exposomics community and its partners)

Contact

For any information regarding this call for projects, please send an email to rf.re1768814695illep1768814695tnomu1768814695@noit1768814695amrof1768814695-muso1768814695pxe1768814695 with [AAP Junior Teams 2025] in the subject line of the email.

Commitments

The carriers undertake to:

  • Respect, in the design and implementation of the project submitted under this call for proposals, the values and principles of scientific integrity intended to guarantee the honest and scientifically rigorous nature of all research work, as referred to in Article L.211-2 of the Research Code and set out in the National Charter of Ethics for Research Professions and the Charter on Scientific Integrity of the University of Montpellier.
  • 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 relating to the implementation of the project. Specific instructions regarding communication obligations will be provided to project leaders.
  • Send to the Institute (rf.re1768814695illep1768814695tnomu1768814695@paa-1768814695musop1768814695xe1768814695), an annual report that can be used in the University's communications materials according to a template provided. A project guide detailing management procedures and expectations regarding reports will be sent to selected project leaders.
  • Apply the UM publication signature charter in force to all scientific productions; comply with the provisions relating to open science and the Law for a Digital Republic (open access publication). The heads of UM-supervised laboratories will deposit the full text of publications in the open archive (https://hal.umontpellier.fr).
  • Take the necessary steps to obtain the required research authorizations/approvals in regulated sectors (genetically modified organisms, use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, use of genetic resources and sharing of the resulting benefits, bioethics, etc.).

Research structures belonging to the ExposUM Institute consortium3

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

Learn more about the EXPOSUM Institute

 

  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. As a reminder, only UR, UMR, and UMI may apply for this call for proposals. UAR, UExp, US, and UPS are not eligible. ↩︎

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