Internationalization

The DrEAM program (Doctor, Explore and Achieve More!) supports PhD candidates from the University of Lorraine in their international mobility projects.

Open to all disciplines, it provides funding of up to €5,000 to support a 2- to 6-month research stay in a research unit abroad. In 2024, 49 grants were awarded, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to nearly 250 since the launch of the I-SITE. Numerous testimonials highlight the program’s highly positive impact, both scientifically and personally.

Tangible outcomes for research and the academic community

Since its launch in 2019, several hundred PhD candidates have benefited from the DrEAM program. They have been able to:

• immerse themselves in new cultural and scientific environments,
• develop skills and expand their networks,
• contribute to high-level collaborative projects,
• enhance the international visibility of their work and of the Lorraine I-SITE

By enabling future researchers to explore, discover, and achieve more, DrEAM actively contributes to the scientific outreach and international attractiveness of the Lorraine site and its partners.

The Widen Horizons program, created under the Lorraine Initiative of Excellence, supports staff members of the Lorraine site wishing to undertake an extended immersion (at least 3 months) in an international scientific environment.

With financial support ranging from €6,000 to €12,000, it fosters the development of long-term collaborations, the acquisition of new expertise, and the international visibility of research conducted in Lorraine.

A unique opportunity

By promoting extended stays in high-level scientific environments, Widen Horizons:

• offers Lorraine staff members an international experience that is structuring for their career paths,
• stimulates the creation of lasting collaborations,
• contributes to the international visibility of the Lorraine I-SITE

Since its launch, nearly 70 researchers and teacher-researchers have benefited from this scheme, enriching their career paths and giving new momentum to their scientific projects.

To foster structured international partnerships, the Lorraine I-SITE supports the creation of International Research Partnerships (IRP). The principle is simple: a laboratory at the University of Lorraine teams up with a laboratory abroad around a common project. Together, they share talents, ideas, and resources — like a laboratory without walls.

Each year, up to three IRPs are launched for a duration of four years. These partnerships benefit from dedicated support: a joint doctoral contract, the regular hosting of visiting professors, and seed funding to kick-start collaborations. The goal: build lasting ties, foster mobility, and generate visible results at the international level.

In short:

• A pair of laboratories (UL + foreign partner) around a shared project;
• Targeted resources to start quickly and effectively (joint PhD, visiting stays, seed budget);
• A multi-annual framework to anchor cooperation in the long term;
• Tangible outcomes: publications, joint training, expanded networks.

Prof@Lorraine: hosting international researchers

Since the creation of the I-SITE, 30 researchers from foreign universities have benefited from the Prof@Lorraine scheme (funding of invited months).

The Lorraine I-SITE has developed a policy of targeted partnerships aligned with site priorities, through the BOOSTER program. The goal is to avoid dispersing resources and a “one-size-fits-all” approach, in favor of a limited portfolio of strong alliances in research and training.
These partnerships involve co-constructed research actions recognized by the institutions (ideally in the form of a joint laboratory), supported on a multi-annual basis: research stays, master’s internships, joint PhD theses, etc.

To date, the I-SITE supports three strategic partnerships with Tohoku University (Japan), Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysia), and Université Internationale de Rabat (Morocco). In all three cases, projects are jointly selected based on criteria of scientific excellence and partnership strengthening. Nearly €1M has been invested in 2023–2024, involving 16 laboratories, including 3 in the social sciences and humanities.

Boosting our European momentum
Beyond these agreements, the BOOSTER program has supported the University of Lorraine’s membership in the EURECA-PRO European alliance, dedicated to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), in line with the societal challenges of the Lorraine I-SITE. This membership aims to:

• facilitate the integration of the University of Lorraine into a European education ecosystem;
• accelerate the academic community’s familiarization with Europe;
• initiate thematic research communities (EURECA-PRO Flagships).
  Support has taken the form of upstream measures (recruitment, mobility funding) and, since membership, the funding of two doctoral contracts with a partner from the alliance.

The Lorraine Initiative of Excellence embodies a strong ambition: to establish Lorraine as a key player in research, education, and innovation worldwide. At the heart of this ambition, support for doctoral contracts is a cornerstone of a proactive policy to strengthen scientific visibility and international cooperation on a lasting basis.

The Lorraine I-SITE thus promotes a structured and balanced model of collaboration with its international partners, where doctoral contracts go beyond one-off exchanges and are rooted in solid, recognized institutional dynamics. This scheme fosters the development of sustainable partnerships, combining shared resources, expertise, and ambitions to drive excellent research projects with both scientific and societal impact.

A strategic lever for Lorraine’s international visibility

The doctoral policy promoted by the Lorraine I-SITE reflects a holistic vision: encouraging the emergence of talent, supporting the creation and dissemination of knowledge in an international context, while stimulating innovation capacity and the attractiveness of the territory. More than just funding, this support is a strategic investment in the competitiveness and future visibility of Lorraine on the international stage.

The annual call for projects illustrates this strong political commitment, rigorously selecting initiatives that embody this shared vision and contribute to embedding Lorraine in global scientific networks.