Call for Proposals: ExposUM Master's Internship Support
ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners[1] aimed at establishing an off-campus, interdisciplinary institute for the study, training, and science-society interaction regarding the environmental determinants of human health. As 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.
Scientific Scope
The exposome refers to the set of 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 life.
Objectives
The training component of the ExposUM Institute aims to:
- Breaking Down Barriers in Education (Interdisciplinarity)
- Help improve skills
- Join the exposomics community at the University of Montpellier and its partners
- Strengthening ties with countries in the Global South
To this end, several initiatives are being organized, including funding for master's-level internships.
The purpose of this call for proposals is to fund M2 master’s-level internships focused on topics related to environmental health—in the broadest sense—and falling within the scientific scope of ExposUM.
The funded internships will be open to M2 master’s students enrolled at the University of Montpellier or one of its partner institutions (list of participating institutions).
Funding and Eligible Expenses
Funding is capped at €5,000[2] per internship, including the stipend for up to 6 months and may include operating expenses directly related to the internship.
The funding will be paid in full to the host organization upon receipt of the signed internship agreement.
Calendar
- Call for proposals opens: August 28, 2026
- Application deadline: September 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. UTC+2
- Evaluation of applications by the ExposUM Institute’s Training Evaluation Committee (COEF): October 26, 2026
- Notification of funding: early November 2026
- Internships begin: January–March 2027
- Funds will be made available in March 2027 (due to the transition to SIFAC+)
Eligibility Criteria
Principal Investigator: a researcher, faculty member Professor, tenured or on a fixed-term contract (in which case, the employment contract must cover at least the entire duration of the project), and a member of a research unit at I-SITE Montpellier. The Principal Investigator must be the future supervisor or co-supervisor of the prospective intern.
Host organization for the internship: a research unit at I-SITE in Montpellier of which the applicant is a member.
Student: The internship topic will be selected before the intern is chosen; the supervising institution therefore agrees to recruit an intern enrolled in the M2 program at a department of the University of Montpellier (list of departments) or one of its partner institutions.
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.
The applicant should send the application materials via email to [email address], copying the head of the host organization. by mentioning [AAP Stage Master 2026] in the email subject line.
Before 11:59 p.m. UTC+2 on September 27, 2026.
Selection Process
Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the internship topic, the proposed supervision, and the alignment with the priorities and themes of the ExposuM Institute (see Selection Criteria). This evaluation will be conducted by the ExposuM Institute’s Training Evaluation Committee (COEF).
Selection criteria:
(for reference only)
- 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, and integrating the exposomics community of theUM and its partners)
Contact
For any information regarding this call for proposals, please send an email to by mentioning [AAP Stage Master 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, and the Occitanie Region in all documents related to the project’s implementation. Specific instructions regarding the project leaders’ communication requirements will be provided to them.
- Respond to requests for the annual report, which will be sent by the Institute.
- Apply the currentUM 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 the supervision of UM 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 and approvals in regulated areas (genetically modified organisms, the use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, the use of genetic resources and the resulting benefit-sharing, bioethics, etc.).
Research organizations that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium[3] :
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.
[1]UM, Occitanie Region, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CIRAD, INSERM, Montpellier University Hospital, ICM, Institut Agro Montpellier, ENSCM, Ifremer, INRIA.
[2] At the time this call for applications was published, the minimum legal amount for an internship stipend was €682.52 per month.
[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.