The allocation of doctoral contracts by the ED occurs through a competition that takes place between January and June:

Calendar of the competition

Warning: The request for letters of recommendation is sent to the referees at the time of application. If you submit your application late, be sure to notify them in advance so that they are not caught off guard. 

Competition Committee and Selection Committee

The competition is managed by a Competition Committee comprising:

• the four members of the Executive Board of the doctoral school,
• four faculty members or researchers from the laboratories of the ED, from each of the participating institutions.

The Selection Committee comprises:

• members of the competition committee,
• researchers or faculty members appointed by the competition committee.

The selection and competition committees, renewed in whole or in part each year, are selected to best represent all the themes of the ED. Their composition is submitted to the Council of the ED.

Procedure

The competition procedure is conducted in three successive phases:

1. Approval by the Board of the ED of proposed thesis topics posted on the website of the ED;
2. Submission of applications to website of the ED;
3. Ranking of candidates by a jury chosen to represent all the themes of the ED.
   This ranking is then approved by the Council of the ED. 

Ranking of candidates

1. The selection committee screens candidates to select those who will receive an interview.
2. The following is organized over two days:
   • the first half-day is devoted to the evaluation of the academic record of the candidates to be interviewed.
   • The following two half-days are devoted to interviews (see the format of the interviews below).
   • The fourth half-day is devoted to the ranking of candidates by the selection committee, based on the evaluation of the academic record and the interview. It takes into account the number of doctoral contracts available for award by each institution.
   • The selection committee then establishes a candidate ranking consisting of a main and a supplementary list.
3. Finally, the Council of the ED approves the distribution of funds based on the ranking established by the jury. It examines potential imbalances between institutions, laboratories, or themes.
4. Applicants are notified individually by email and by posting on the website of the ED.
   Successful candidates are then invited to contact the secretary of their prospective institution, who will give them the necessary instructions to sign their contract and to proceed with their enrollment.

Interview Format

Candidates have ten minutes to present themselves, with particular emphasis on their past research activities. The competition jury questions the candidates for about five minutes.

• A maximum (indicative) of two slides must be devoted to the presentation of the thesis subject.
• Applicants who cannot be present on the day of the interview will make their presentation by videoconference.
• Candidates can speak in English or French, at their option.