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Call for Projects: Junior Teams 2026 Campaign – Round 2

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ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners1 aimed at establishing an off-campus, interdisciplinary institute for the study, training, and science-society interaction regarding the environmental determinants of human health. A recipient of the ExcellenceS (PIA4) call for proposals and supported by the Occitanie Region, ExposUM is receiving €46.4 million in funding for the period 2022–2030.

Download the Junior Teams 2026 Matrix – Round 2 – DOCX 236 KBDownload

Scientific Scope

The exposome refers to the set of environmental and social factors whose individual 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 skills development
  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 funding of junior teams, hereinafter referred to as “Junior Teams.”

The goal 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 gain experience in project management and team leadership, including supervising one or more master’s or thesis students working on the topic. The proposed team may consist of several junior researchers and several students who may be affiliated with another UMR.

Each selected PI will be allocated an operating budget of up to 30,000 euros, which may primarily cover internship stipends for master’s students (~600 euros/month/student), as well as temporary research support staff (e.g., clinical research associate, engineer), travel/fieldwork expenses, or operating costs and laboratory supplies (excluding equipment costing more than 3,000 euros). The supervision arrangements for each staff member involved (composition, time dedicated) must be justified. Since the objective of this call is to give the Principal Investigator (PI) the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment as a supervisor and future leader, particular attention will be paid to the timeline of activities and the expected timeframe for achieving results.

Calendar

  • AAP Junior Teams 2026, Round 2: June 12, 2026
  • Deadline for submitting proposals: August 24, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
  • Earnings Announcement: Fourth Quarter of 2026

Eligibility Criteria

The principal investigator must be a non-tenured faculty member (e.g., postdoctoral fellow, ATER, CCU-AH) affiliated with a UR, UMR, or UMI2 that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium or who have held a tenured position in those same units for ≤ 2 years.

Submission Guidelines

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

The courier should send the file via email to [email protected], copying the unit director. by mentioning [AAP Junior Teams 2026] in the email subject line.

Before August 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CET.

Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the scientific project, the proposed supervision, and their alignment with the Institute’s priorities and research areas (see Selection Criteria). This evaluation will be conducted by the ExposUM Institute’s Training Evaluation Committee (COEF).

Selection Criteria

(for reference only)

  • student mentoring
  • clear identification of the scope of the exposome being studied
  • interdisciplinarity
  • methodological qualities
  • potential impacts (both fundamental and applied),
  • feasibility
  • relevance in light of the ExposUM Institute’s strategic priorities (establishing new partnerships, the One Health approach, Global Health and Southern Health, promoting the involvement of the humanities and social sciences,UM integrating theUM exposomics communityUM its partners)

Contact

For any information regarding this call for proposals, please send an email to by mentioning [AAP Junior Teams 2026] in the email subject line.

Commitments

The carriers agree to:

  • To adhere, in the design and implementation of the project submitted in response to this call for proposals, the values and principles of scientific integrity intended to ensure the honesty and scientific rigor of all research work, as referred to in Article L.211-2 of the Research Code and set forth in the National Code of Ethics for Research Professions and the University of Montpellier’s Charter on Scientific Integrity.
  • Comply with the Nagoya Protocol, if applicable.
  • Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, the ExposUM Institute, the Occitanie Region, the European Union logo with the statement “Funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU,” and/or the ERDF logo in all documents related to the implementation of the project. Specific instructions regarding the project leaders’ communication obligations will be provided to them.
  • Please send to the Institute () an annual report and a final report, no later than two months after the end of the project (financial and progress reports), which may be used in the University’s communications materials.
  • Apply theUM publication guidelines to all scientific outputs; comply with provisions related to open science and the Law for a Digital Republic (open-access publication). The directors of laboratories under UM supervision UM the full text of publications in the open archive (https://hal.umontpellier.fr).
  • Take the necessary steps to obtain the required research authorizations and approvals in regulated sectors (genetically modified organisms, the use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, the use of genetic resources and the sharing of resulting benefits, bioethics, etc.).

Research organizations that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium3

ABSys, AGAP Institute, 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.

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 units may apply for this call for proposals. UAR, UExp, US, and UPS units are not eligible. ↩︎

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