The 2025-2026 call for applications is now opened.
Eligibility
- You must be currently working on your PhD
- You must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible)
- All STEM and Health research topics are eligible
- Research should be performed in a French laboratory (university, engineering school, public research laboratory…)
- Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis
- Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution
- Co-sponsorship by a candidate’s American university or French host institution is encouraged
Calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year
- Application deadline: January 10, 2025 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST
- Award Notification: May 2025
- The fellowship in France for the 2025-2026 academic year must start between September 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026
- The call for applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will open in October 2024
Benefits
- Monthly allowance (up to 1750 euros/month, depending on other sources of funding)
- Round trip ticket to France
- Support for health insurance abroad
Required information/documents for the online application
- Contact Information
- List of degrees received and copies of transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
- List of publications
- List of past fellowships received
- List of other fellowships for which you are applying
- Summary of your thesis research in the US
- Summary of research to be performed in France
- Detailed description of your thesis research in the US including your project in France (3 pages)
- Letter of agreement from your US thesis advisor agreeing that part of your thesis will be co-supervised by a French colleague. This letter should also highlight your work, explain how a stay in France would be useful to both the lab and your project and how it will strengthen the existing or planned collaboration between your home and host laboratories
- Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France agreeing to co-supervise part of your thesis. This letter should also describe the existing or planned collaboration between the home and host laboratories and include information about what your stay in France will bring to the host lab and your project
- At least one letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor
- Contact information of host laboratory in France
- If your application is linked to an existing French-American collaboration, please be ready to provide information on this collaboration
Selection criteria
- Academic relevance of the research project
- Student’s command of the subject
- Benefits of a research trip to France for the future of the collaboration
- Background of the research collaboration
- Contribution of the project to France/US academic exchange
Identifying a host laboratory
It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and contact a French laboratory that would like to collaborate with your university, laboratory or thesis advisor.
Yes, US Citizenship is not required to apply for a Chateaubriand Fellowship. French citizens are not eligible for the Chateaubriand fellowship. Dual French citizens are eligible if they have completed their studies outside of France. All applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program in an American university.
The STEM Chateaubriand Fellowship Program is not open to Master’s or Bachelor’s degree students. The fellowship is reserved for PhD students.
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.No, you do not need to provide an English translation of documents written in French.
Your letter of recommendation should be submitted by a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor. One letter of recommendation is required and you have the option to submit a second letter.
We do not have specific requirements for document formatting. As a general guide, we suggest using Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri fonts, size 11 or larger with 1 inch margins. If you can include citations in the 3 pages, please do so, but you may also add an additional page for citations.
The scientific quality of your application will be evaluated by scientific experts whose field of expertise most closely matches your area of research. These experts are identified by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation’s office in charge of the evaluation of publicly funded research projects.
STEM Chateaubriand fellows will receive a monthly allowance of up to 1400 € (depending on other financial support the student might receive while in France), round trip ticket to France and support for health insurance abroad.
You can request to split your stay in France into two trips provided that you still spend a minimum of 4 months in France and can pay for a second round trip flight using other funding. Approval from the Office for Science & Technology is required.
Yes, if you are selected as a Chateaubriand Fellow, your stay in France must start between September 1 and April 30 of the academic year for which your fellowship was awarded. Written approval from the Office for Science & Technology is required if changes in your research plans require that you leave prior to or after these dates.
