2019 Call ENS/CSC Scholarship Programme OPEN

Call for applications 2019
ENS - China Scholarship Council (CSC) doctoral scholarship programme

Under the agreement between the group of the 4 French ENS and the China Scholarship Council (CSC), ENS Rennes is launching a PhD call for applications intended to recruit high-level-students that wish to carry out a PhD within one of its associated research laboratories.

Agreement ENS - China Scholarship Council

The Écoles Normales Supérieures (ENS) Group has signed a cooperation agreement with the China Scholarship Council - CSC, providing funding for 30 PhD students for the whole ENS group (Paris, Paris-Saclay, Lyon, Rennes), on the basis of a selection by the ENS and by the CSC.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria will take into account the quality of the application, the interest in the topic of research by the host laboratory in ENS Rennes, and in the existing cooperations with the home university candidates (PROSFER-JoRISS programmes with ECNU in Shanghai, university of Fudan in Shanghai, Beijing, international associated laboratories...).

TIMELINE 2019

Phase 1

Call for thesis proposals (to be sent to the International Relations Office), publication as from November 2018. Last date for publication February 01st.

Phase 2
Call for applications – as from November 2018 and open until February 20th 2019. 

Phase 3
ENS Internal Selection committee – early March, 2018

Phase 4
Final phase of selection by CSC in China : April 2019
The preselectionned candidates by the ENS jury must officially apply on line through the CSC application plateform : http://apply.csc.edu.cn
This plateform is open between March 20th and April 05th 2019.
Candidates must specify that they are applying under the specific agreement ENS/CSC.

Application file and documents to be submitted:

• Detailed CV (in English OR in French), indicating current level in English and in French,
• Application letter in English OR in French,
• A copy of candidate's passport,
• The PhD supervisor’s biography - signed,
• A description of the thesis project signed by the PhD supervisor,
• An acceptance letter signed by the PhD supervisor which includes a brief overview of the thesis proposal and its implementation context. This letter should also be signed by the head of the host laboratory and the doctoral school.
• Provisional admission letter signed by ENS Rennes.

To be eligible :   

• The scholarship is awarded for a time period of up to 4 years maximum for the amount of 1200 €/month. Jointly supervised PhD projects are given priority. In this case the scholarship is awarded only for the time spent in France.
• Candidates must be of Chinese nationality and be living in China at the time of application.
• Successful candidates commit to returning to China upon completion of the PhD after the viva voce defense or after a postdoctoral period abroad (with permission from the CSC).
• Candidates must fulfill all admission and selection requirements put forth by ENS Rennes; they must prove to have a very good level in English and for certain domains in Human Sciences a very good level in French (B2 or C1 level).
• PhD students will be hosted within one of the ENS Rennes partner laboratories: http://www.ens-rennes.fr/laboratoires-partenaires