The doctoral program is consistent with international experience:
- A doctorate (PhD degree) is the highest academic degree recognized as such in all countries around the world.
- Scientific research is international. The expertise or equipment needed for research work may be located abroad.
- A stay in another country forces you to confront a different culture and other points of view, and to learn other methodologies that can only enrich your training as a researcher.
- Mobility allows doctoral students to create their own international network, forge links with other research teams, and thus open up opportunities for cooperation for their future careers.
The University of Lyon supports doctoral schools in their efforts to become more international.
To this end, it has signed partnership agreements with the University of Ottawa, the University of Montreal, and the University of Sherbrooke (in Canada); the University of Tokyo and Tohoku University (in Japan); East China Normal University, Fudan University, Tongji University, and Jiao Tong University (in Shanghai); the University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan (in Italy), and the Technion (in Israel), which facilitate, in particular, the establishment of exchanges and joint supervision of doctoral students.
International Mobility
There are several mobility options available to doctoral students:
- joint supervision of a thesis, which allows students to pursue a doctorate jointly with another university abroad and obtain two degrees after a single thesis defense;
- co-supervision of a thesis, which allows students to conduct research at two universities with two thesis supervisors;
- research stays at a university, research center, or research site abroad;
- participation in international conferences and congresses or thematic schools.
Financing mobility
- Mobility involves additional expenses (travel, accommodation, possibly visas and insurance) and therefore requires specific financing.
- A longer stay requires seeking funding from one of the many existing programs well in advance, 6 months to 1 year before the mobility period.
- Please consult the guide to prepare your application for financial assistance.
Financial assistance from the doctoral school for participation in an international conference or thematic school
- The EEA doctoral school may cover the costs of a doctoral student's participation in an international conference under certain conditions or a thematic school. See the page dedicated to financial assistance for more information.
Thesis in cotutelle
International joint supervision allows doctoral students to complete their doctorate in France and abroad. They are enrolled at two institutions and work in two research teams, under the joint supervision of two thesis supervisors. The thesis work culminates in a single defense and the awarding of a joint degree or two separate degrees by the two institutions.
A joint supervision agreement must be established between the two universities to which the doctoral student will be attached. It specifies, in particular, the conditions for supervising the doctoral student, the alternating periods within each of the research teams, and the procedures for setting up the thesis defense jury. The joint supervision agreement is initiated by the thesis supervisor.
The joint supervision request
- All joint supervision requests must be sent to the EEA doctoral school secretariat as soon as possible.
- In order to improve the system for establishing international joint supervision agreements for doctoral theses and to avoid a growing number of difficulties in monitoring and completing certain joint supervisions, the research departments of the institutions (ECL, INSA, UCB), assisted by their international relations and legal departments, are involved early in the process to help thesis supervisors and laboratories put together these applications.
Budget
- Doing a thesis under joint supervision entails additional travel expenses. Some institutions also require the payment of tuition fees and/or joint supervision fees.
- There are specific funding programs for joint supervision with certain countries offered by the Franco-German University, the Franco-Italian University, the Franco-Dutch Network, and the Vanier Canada Scholarships program.