The ORION programme “Oser la Recherche durant la formatION” (Daring to Do Research During Your Studies) is the response of the Université de Lorraine (UL) and its partners (CNRS, INRAE, INRIA, INSERM, CHRU de Nancy, AgroParisTech and Georgia Tech Europe) to the call for projects “Structuration de la formation par la recherche dans les Initiatives d’excellence” (SFRI, Structuring Research-Based Training within the Initiatives of Excellence) of the Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir (PIA, the French Investments for the Future Programme). Its objective is twofold: first, to expose students to research before the second year of the Master’s and doctoral studies; second, to bring together students from the Université de Lorraine’s different training components and disciplines.
Purpose of the call
As part of the implementation of the ORION programme, UL is launching a call for applications for outgoing international mobility grants for students of the Lorraine site who are members of the student-researcher clubs and wish to carry out a research internship abroad.
The purpose of the grant is to provide financial support to recipients so that they can discover a new cultural and scientific environment and take part in research projects that they can build on in doctoral studies or in their professional careers.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for this scheme, students must meet one of the following conditions:
- be enrolled in the first or second year of a Master’s programme at the Université de Lorraine;
- be enrolled in the second or final year of an engineering school of the Université de Lorraine;
- be enrolled in the second or final year of an engineering school at one of the partner higher education institutions located on the Lorraine site.
Students must also be members of one of the student-researcher clubs.
The partner higher education institutions on the Lorraine site are: AgroParisTech and GeorgiaTech Europe.
The internship must also be included in the student’s curriculum and be subject to assessment.
Selection criteria
Applicants must also:
- demonstrate a genuine interest in scientific research;
- commit to carrying out a research internship of 2 to 6 months, preferably in a laboratory affiliated with a privileged partner of the Lorraine site; failing that, any other destination may be considered, subject to the scientific merit of the project;
- complete their mobility before the date of the examination board for the relevant Master’s year.
A student may receive this grant only once during their studies.
List of privileged partners of the Lorraine research site
- United States: New York University, University of California San Diego, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech Atlanta), Washington State University, Arizona State University, University of Cincinnati;
- Australia: University of Queensland;
- Canada: University of Alberta;
- Chile: Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Universidad de Chile;
- China: Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan University, Wuhan University of Technology, Beijing Forestry University;
- Colombia: Universidad Nacional de Colombia;
- India: Mahatma Gandhi University;
- Indonesia: Universitas Islam Malang;
- Japan: Tohoku University, Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech);
- Kazakhstan: Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University;
- Malaysia: Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia;
- Morocco: International University of Rabat, Universiapolis;
- Thailand: King Mongkut’s University of Technology, North Bangkok;
- Europe: Universities of the University of the Greater Region (UniGR) alliance and of the EURECA-PRO European alliance.
This list is subject to change in line with the international strategy of the Université de Lorraine and current institutional partnerships. Particular attention will also be given to mobilities linked to the Lorraine research site’s strategic international cooperation tools (IRP or equivalent, IRL, etc.).
Finding a host laboratory
The partner universities do not have a single point of contact, as their areas of expertise are varied. Students must therefore find their own host laboratory. They should browse the partner universities’ websites, identify laboratories or researchers working on topics that interest them, and contact them directly.
To establish contact, they can draw on the network of their club’s affiliated laboratories and on their steering team (scientific supervisors and PhD managers of their ORION club), as well as on their network at the Université de Lorraine (teachers, programme director, international relations officers of their faculty/school), who often have direct contacts and can point them to the right people.
The universities of the UniGR and EURECA-PRO alliances are presented on their respective websites: www.uni-gr.eu and www.eurecapro.eu.
How to apply
The application file must include:
- a duly completed grant application form, including a summary of the research internship project and a motivation statement (2,500 characters maximum each, including spaces), specifying the contribution to the applicant’s academic record and career plans;
- an up-to-date CV;
- a favourable opinion from the Master’s programme director or the programme director of the engineering school;
- a favourable opinion from one of the club’s scientific supervisors;
- an official invitation letter from the host organisation;
- a letter of commitment signed by the applicant, stating that they will acknowledge the ORION programme as a source of funding in any scientific publication or communication related to the internship, and that they will share feedback on their experience at the end of the mobility, in the form defined by the ORION unit (testimonial, report, outreach material, etc.).
Students are invited to submit their application files on the dedicated online platform. Incomplete applications and/or those submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Funding
The maximum grant amount is set at €7,000 per recipient, broken down as follows:
- a flat-rate allowance of up to €1,000 to cover international travel costs (covering one round trip only to the host organisation abroad, including in the case of a split stay)
| Distance from place of residence | Flat-rate allowance |
| More than 500 km | €1,000 |
| Between 200 and 499 km | €500 |
| Less than 199 km | €300 |
- a “living expenses” flat rate, corresponding to a contribution towards daily allowances (meals, accommodation) and incidental costs (public transport, visas, etc.) related to the mobility.
This flat rate is determined according to the Human Development Index of the destination country (source: UNDP – Human Development Index, Human Development Report 2025, 2023 data), according to the following tiers:
| Human Development Index (HDI) | Countries concerned | Monthly “living expenses” flat rate |
| Below < 0.5 | – | €600 |
| Between 0.5 and 0.7 | India | €800 |
| Between 0.7 and 1 | United States, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, European countries (UniGR and EURECA-PRO universities) | €1,000 |
The grant is paid in two instalments:
- First payment (on arrival):
- 100% of the international travel allowance
- 80% of the total “living expenses” flat rate
- upon presentation of the certificate of arrival signed by the host organisation
- Second payment (at the end):
- the remaining 20% of the “living expenses” flat rate
- upon presentation of the certificate of end of stay signed by the host organisation
If the stay does not take place or is interrupted early, partial or full reimbursement may be required, in proportion to the period actually completed, in accordance with the commitments set out in the internship agreement.
This mobility grant can be combined with social-based grants such as CROUS grants, as well as with the International Mobility Aid (AMI), a national scheme run by the Ministry in charge of higher education and research. However, it cannot be combined with other mobility aids offered by the institution, such as the Erasmus+ or Amobul programmes.
The grant amount is determined within the limits of the funds available under the ORION programme. It does not constitute full coverage of the costs related to the mobility.
Call for applications timeline
- Call opening date: October 1, 2026
- Call closing date: November 9, 2026
- Notification of results to students: from December 4, 2026 by email.
Internships may start between January and August of the 2026-2027 academic year, provided that they end before the date of the Master’s examination board for the second semester.
Internships that started before the application submission date are not eligible.
Application review procedure
Applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc committee made up of the scientific supervisors of the student-researcher clubs. A scientific supervisor does not evaluate the application of a member of their own club.
The final list of recipients will be drawn up and validated by a record of decisions signed by the President of the Université de Lorraine.
Award criteria
Applications are selected on the basis of a qualitative evaluation of the file, according to the following criteria:
- Relevance and coherence of the internship project, in light of the applicant’s academic background and prospects for further study or professional integration;
- Clarity and strength of the application, including the quality of the writing, the completeness of the documents provided, and the justification of the request;
- Assessment by the scientific supervisors of the clubs to which the students belong;
- Alignment with the objectives of the ORION programme, in particular openness to the international sphere, interest in research, and the leveraging of the internship with a view to continuing studies or entering the profession.
Time limits and means of appeal against a decision not to award an ORION Master Grant
If the grant is refused, the applicant may lodge:
- an administrative appeal to the President of the Université de Lorraine, by post with acknowledgement of receipt;
- and/or a judicial appeal before the Administrative Court of Nancy.
The administrative appeal must be filed within two months of the date of publication of the decision. The judicial appeal must be filed within two months of the date of publication or, if an administrative appeal has been lodged, within two months of the notification of the decision rejecting the administrative appeal, whether express or implied (silence maintained for more than two months in response to a claim amounts to a rejection).
For any questions, applicants can contact the ORION operational unit at the following address: isite-orion-cellule@univ-lorraine.fr