FAQ: Artificial Intelligence for the Sciences (AI4theSciences) doctoral program

For September 2023, 4 PhD grants will be awarded, following 2 rounds of selection (first via a written application and then an interview) taking place April 2023, and following the publication of the unique ranking list of candidates. It is therefore the excellence of candidates, an essential Horizon 2020-MSCA principle, that will make possible to select the 4 thesis projects out of those proposed. A total of 23 PhD grants were awarded in 2021 and 2022. The full list can be found on the Cofund program webpage.  

Absolutely. In your application, you are asked to highlight your ability to be trained in AI or mass data processing techniques, and to detail your motivations. PhD students will receive at the very beginning of the 2023 academic year a dedicated introductory training on artificial intelligence and massive data processing techniques. This training is intended to give students from all disciplines the same knowledge on AI / massive data processing, and to give them the means to succeed in their dissertation.  

During the thesis, a seminar will then be organized every week to allow students to improve their knowledge and to communicate about their work, especially on the technical difficulties encountered.  

PhD candidates can apply from February 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023. After submitting their application, a message acknowledging receipt of the application will be sent within two days by email. Before the launch of the pre-selection (round 1), all applications will be examined to verify their eligibility. Candidates will receive confirmation of the eligibility of their application.  

The pre-selection phase (round 1) will focus on the evaluation of the written applications submitted by applicants.  

The selection phase (round 2) will last from April 17 to April 21, 2023, and will take the form of interviews, either physical or remote. All candidates who are interviewed will receive feedback on their file, based on the selection and evaluation criteria. Unsuccessful candidates will also be informed of their ranking on the waiting list. The final list of successful candidates will be published on the PSL website. 

There is no age or nationality requirement for applicants. Nevertheless, the “MSCA-COFUND mobility rule” must be respected. Any candidate who has lived in France for less than 12 months in the three years before the closing date of the call for applications is eligible.  

To give a concrete example, an international student who has arrived in France for his Master 2 in September 2022, can apply to be an AI4TheSciences doctoral student for the beginning of the 2023 academic year. To give another example, a French person living in Germany for 3 years is eligible, while a German person living in France for a lifetime is not. 

Researchers may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary/partner organisation (or — in case of international European interest organisations — with this organisation) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the co-funded programme's call deadline or the date of recruitment unless otherwise specified in Annex 1 for existing programmes. Time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention 1, compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not considered. 

This rule resolutely reinforces the European dimension of AI4TheSciences.