The ORION program “Open up to Research through Integrated and Optimised traiNing” is the response of the University of Lorraine (UL) and its partners : CNRS, INRAE, INRIA, INSERM, CHRU de Nancy, AgroParisTech and Georgia Tech Lorraine to the SFRI (“Structuring training through research in the Initiatives for Excellence”) call for projects of France’s “Investments for the Future” program (PIA). Its objective is twofold, the first is to expose students to research before they reach the Master 2 and PhD levels, the second is to mix students from its different training components and from different disciplines of the University of Lorraine.
Purpose of the call
As part of the implementation of the ORION program, a call for applications is open for the financing of « Master Grants » for foreign students wishing to carry out a research internship at Master II level in UL laboratories.
The Coordination COmmittee of the PROjects of the LORraine site (CCOPROLOR, formerly called COMEX LUE) wishes to include these grants in the context of the development of international partnerships of our laboratories. This call is thought of as a mean to host excellent candidates studying at our international partner institutions for a research internship.
The laboratories are expected to consider the students awarded such a grant as high potential candidates for thesis funding (in line with the LUE 2023 doctoral contract campaign for example, without however giving priority to candidates selected in this call) or co-funding of a co-tutored thesis with the partner in question.
This call therefore aims to strengthen the international structuring partnerships of UL laboratories.
The research internships may start as early as November 2023 for a duration of 4 to 6 months. If the internship is carried out in a restricted access laboratory (ZRR), the internship supervisor will have to take into account the additional time needed to examine the student’s application, which impacts the starting date of the internship and access to the laboratory premises.
Funding modalities
The funding for the Master Grants includes :
- A stipend for a 4-6 month internship of €1000 per month
- Financial support of €1000 for return travel.
Successful applicants will receive a maximum stipend of €7000[1].
In the event of withdrawal during the placement, the student receiving the mobility grant must undertake to reimbursement of the amount received.
Selection criteria
The selection criteria and associated scores adopted for this call for proposals are listed in the following table.
Evaluation criteria of the Master Grants ORION
| Criterion | Considerations |
| Impact and link to LUE policy | ● Consistency with the international partnership policy of LUE’s partner institutions and link with LUE’s actions ● Evidence of a long-term vision / possibility of a thesis ● Plan to exploit the Master Grants scheme ● Plan to disseminate the results. |
| Scientific and Technical quality | ● Originality of the proposed research ● Clarity of objectives ● Clarity of theoretical and experimental framework ● Feasibility in the requested internship period ● Quality of the supervisors |
Evaluation of the candidates
| Criterion | Considerations |
| Academic experience | ● Grades and rankings of Master I and II levels ● Notoriety and level of the University of Origin ● Number of years to obtain the Master II degree ● Testified recommendations |
| Research Potential | ● Correspondence between acquired skills (courses, grades..) and the research topic ● Ability to work independently and take responsibility ● Collaborations and partnership ● International experience ● Publication of research work (dissertation, Internship Report, …) ● Ability to disseminate (oral presentation, videos and teaching) |
| Career development objectives | ● Professional project and fit with interest in the research internship |
Each of the criteria will be annotated: Excellent, Very good, Good, or Insufficient.
Application and selection procedure
The application file should include :
- A short description of the nature, history, and strength of the partnership between the two teams involved
- A description of proposed topic of the internship and details on supervisor(s), context, expected results,…
- CV, Master I and II grades, cover letter, letters of recommendation, and any other information deemed relevant to assess the quality of the proposed student’s application
- Letter of commitment on honour to mention the ORION programme in publications resulting from the internship
This information should be entered using the following form : https://enquetes.univ-lorraine.fr/index.php/711299
The supervisor and the student should take note of the practical sheet for the reception of foreign students before finalising the application.
An adhoc committee will evaluate the applications and determine the selected students. This. evaluation will then be reviewed and the list of grants to allocate will be validated by the CCOPROLOR.
Calendar of the call
The call for applications for Master Grants funding will consist of several campaigns during the year. There will thus be several evaluation sessions carried out by the adhoc committee.
The calendar of this 2023-2024 campaign will be as follows:
- Opening date of the call: 12/09/2023
- Closing date of the call: 31/05/2024 at noon
- Sessions deadlines: 29/09/23, 31/10/23, 30/11/23, 29/12/23, 31/01/24, 29/02/24, 29/03/24, 30/04/24, 31/05/24
The results of the applications will be communicated to the supervisors and candidates within one month of each deadline.
Support from the Welcome@Lorraine programme
Within the framework of the Welcome@Lorraine programme, the student can ask for an interview to help with mobility with the IERD (International and European Relations Department) but also with the supervisor if the latter is not used to welcoming international students. The purpose of this voluntary interview is to:
- Evaluate the aptitude for international mobility (comfort zone, degree of autonomy).
- To offer socio-cultural support for mobility and settlement in Lorraine (in coordination with the student associations).
- To know the student’s status (in couple/with children), to inform him/her of the cost of living in Lorraine according to his/her situation (alone or with family).
For more information on the Welcome@Lorraine programme, please consult the following website : https://welcome.univ-lorraine.fr/en/study-in-ul/
[1] This lump sum grant will be paid as follows €1000 upon notification of the individual award decision, then, in the case of a six months tenure, 4 payments of €1500 over the months following the start of the work-based training at the University of Lorraine.