News

Call for Junior Teams Campaign 2026

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ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners1 to establish an open-ended institute for the study, training and science-society interaction of the environmental determinants of human health. Winner of the ExcellenceS call for projects (PIA4) and supported by the Occitanie Region, ExposUM is funded to the tune of 46.4 M€ over the period 2022-2030.

Scientific scope

Theexposome is the set of environmental and social factors whose own effects, combined with the intrinsic characteristics of individuals, underlie the onset, evolution and severity of infectious or non-communicable human diseases. In this sense, it is the environmental counterpart of the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual's life.

Objectives

The training component of the Institut ExposUM aims to :

  1. Decompartmentalizing training (interdisciplinarity)
  2. Contribute to skills enhancement
  3. Join the exposomics community at the University of Montpellier and its partners
  4. Strengthening ties with developing countries

To this end, several actions are organized , including the financing of Junior Teams.

The aim of Junior Teams is to enable young researchers to bring together a small team of 3 to 5 people to work on a scientific project for a period of 12 to 18 months, so that they can familiarize themselves with project and team management, including the supervision of one or more Masters or PhD students working on the subject. The proposed team may include several junior researchers, and several students who may be assigned to another UMR.

Each successful applicant will benefit from an operating budget of up to 30,000 euros, which may primarily cover internship allowances for Master's students (~600 euros/month/student), but also research support vacations (e.g. clinical research associate, engineer), mission/field expenses, or operating expenses/laboratory equipment (excluding equipment >3000 euros).

All personnel involved must justify their involvement (composition, dedicated time). As the aim of this call for proposals is to give the promoter the opportunity to prove his or her involvement as a supervisor and future leader, particular attention will be paid to the timetable of activities and the timeframe for achieving results.

Calendar

  • Publication AAP Junior Teams Wave 1: October 9, 2025
  • Deadline for receipt of projects: December 5, 2025, 2 p.m. CET
  • Announcement of results: January 2026

Financing arrangements

For the 2025 campaign(1st wave of this AAP), the Institute is proposing the allocation of 6 grants of 30,000 euros per team.

Eligibility criteria

The applicant must be a non-tenured staff member (e.g. post-doc, ATER, CCU-AH) affiliated with a UR, UMR or UMI.2 part of the Institut ExposUM consortium or tenured in these same units for ≤ 2 years.

How to submit

The proposal (~3 pages) must be drawn up in French or English from the simplified dossier (see below), respecting the indications given therein.

Junior Teams 2025 application matrix - DOCX 236 KoDownload

The application must be sent by the applicant, with a copy to the unit manager, by e-mail to rf.re1761311260illep1761311260tnomu1761311260@noit1761311260amrof1761311260-muso1761311260pxe1761311260 with [AAP Junior Teams 2025] in the subject line.

Before December 5, 2026, 2pm CET.

Selection procedure

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the scientific project, the proposed supervision, and the fit with the Institute's priorities and themes (see Selection Criteria). This evaluation will be carried out by a commission made up of representatives of the CoDir and COSS of the Institut ExposUM.

Selection criteria

(for information only)

  • student coaching
  • clear identification of the exposome field explored
  • interdisciplinarity
  • methodological skills
  • potential impacts (both fundamental and applied),
  • feasibility
  • relevance to the strategic priorities of the Institut ExposUM (initiation of new partnerships, One Health approach, Global Health and the South, enhancement of the involvement of the Humanities and Social Sciences, integration of the UM exposomic community and its partners).

Contact

For further information on this call for projects, please send an e-mail to the following address rf.re1761311260illep1761311260tnomu1761311260@noit1761311260amrof1761311260-muso1761311260pxe1761311260 with [AAP Junior Teams 2025] in the subject line.

Commitments

Carriers commit to :

  • Respect, in the design and implementation of the project submitted to this call for projects, 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 French Research Code and set out in the Charte nationale de déontologie des métiers de la recherche and the Charte relative à l'intégrité scientifique de l'Université de Montpellier.
  • Compliance with the Nagoya Protocol, where applicable.
  • Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, Institut ExposUM, Région Occitanie and/or ERDF in all documents relating to the project. Specific instructions concerning the communication obligations of project sponsors will be communicated to them.
  • Send to the Institute (rf.re1761311260illep1761311260tnomu1761311260@paa-1761311260musop1761311260xe1761311260), and an annual report that can be used in the University's communications media, according to a template provided. A project guide detailing management procedures and expectations regarding reports will be sent to the successful applicants.
  • Apply the UM's publication signature charter to all scientific productions; respect the provisions of open science and the Law for a Digital Republic (open access publication). The holders of UM sub-tutored laboratories will deposit the full text of publications in the open archive(https://hal.umontpellier.fr).
  • Take steps to obtain the necessary research authorizations/approvals in regulated sectors (genetically modified organisms, use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, use of genetic resources and resulting benefit-sharing, bioethics, etc.).

Research structures in the ExposUM consortium3

ABSys, AGAP Institut, AIDA, AMAP, Analyses, ART-Dev, ASTRE, BC2M, BCM, BIOLuM, BioWooEB, CBGP, CBS, CDE, CEE-M, CEFE, CEMIPAI, CEPEL, CERCOP, ChimEco, CRBM, CREAM, CSUM, DEFE, DGIMI, DIADE, DIASCOPE, DMEM, ECO&SOLS, ECOTRON, EDPFM, EDSM, ESPACE-DEV, EuroMov DHM, F&S, 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.

Find out more about Institut EXPOSUM

 

  1. UM, Occitanie Region, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CIRAD, INSERM, CHU Montpellier, ICM, Institut Agro Montpellier, ENSCM, Ifremer, INRIA. ︎
  2. Unité de Research, Unité Mixte de Research, Unité Mixte Internationale. ︎
  3. As a reminder, only URs, UMRs and UMIs can apply to this call for proposals. UAR, UExp, US, UPS are not eligible. ︎

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