CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST « PhD Expertise Missions »

Supported by Unys – Pôle Universitaire d’Innovation, in collaboration with the Doctoral College and Doctoral Schools, the “Offre Découverte” initiative seeks to strengthen the links
between academia and the socio-economic world.

The Call for Expressions of Interest aims to invite volunteer PhD students to carry out short expertise missions (6 to 10 days) to address specific needs of companies, local authorities, or associations in the region.

These missions aim to:

  • Put PhD students’ scientific skills at the service of concrete projects,
  • Offer companies a fresh and rigorous perspective on their innovation challenges,
  • Foster new synergies between research and industry,
  • Promote doctoral expertise across the Lorraine region.

This Call for Expressions of Interest is open to all PhD students in Lorraine holding a public PhD contract. Not eligible: CIFRE PhD students or those employed by a company

What kind of missions ?

These missions, independent of the PhD subject, rely on the students’ expertise and know-how.

They may include :

  • Scientific or technological studies and monitoring (technological, economic, social,
    environmental, legal, etc.),
  • Diagnostics and recommendations on research, innovation, or development issues,
  • Foresight analyses or trend studies,
  • Science communication or knowledge transfer actions.

They are open to all disciplines — scientific, technological, human and social sciences, law, economics, management, and business studies — serving innovation and transition.

Duration: 6, 8, or 10 days, depending on company needs and PhD student availability.
Supervision: Provided by the Pôle Universitaire d’Innovation and validated by the thesis supervisor and the doctoral school

Participation conditions

These missions are considered a complementary activity to the PhD (Code de la recherche, art. D412-12).
Maximum annual duration: 32 days (≈ one-sixth of total working time).

Mandatory documents

  • A partnership agreement between the University and the host organization,
  • An authorization for secondary activity and an amendment to the doctoral contract, or a temporary teaching/research contract.

Remuneration: additional payment in accordance with current University regulations

The legal framework was developed jointly by the Human Resources Department, the Doctoral College, and the Research and Innovation Support Division (SDVI).

Application procedure

Interested PhD students are invited to submit:

  • Name, surname, laboratory, doctoral school,
  • Title and general theme of their thesis,
  • Expertise and skills applicable to a mission,
  • Fields of interest or preferred sectors,
  • Expected availability (number of days possible).

Contact

Send your application to : unys-contact[@]univ-lorraine.fr