Franco-British Joint PhD
The Joint PhD Programme between French and British universities, initiated by the Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy in collaboration with three universities in Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews) and six universities in France (Paris 3, 6, 7, Aix-Marseille1, Grenoble1 and Tours), is still at the experimental stage whereby proposals are examined and negotiated on a case by case basis. Since January 2005, this programme has now been accepted by over 20 British Universities which see in the scheme the potential for increased and intensified collaborations with French research laboratories through the research project of excellent students. In jointly-directed PhD between France and the UK students prepare their PhD in two different research laboratories, under the guidance of two Principal Investigators (PIs) and providing the appropriate standards are met for both written and oral works both universities award a Joint PhD with the title of Docteur / Doctor of Philosophy, bearing the crests of the two universities.
Description of the Joint PhD Programme
The Joint PhD Programme introduces the notion of “lead university” for each student. This will be the French University for a student initially working in a research lab in France and the British University for a student initially working in a research lab in the UK. The student will generally pay his/her fees for the duration of the course in his/her lead university only and will be exempted in the partner university. He/she is, however, enrolled in both universities from the beginning of the course. Due to the discrepancy between university fees in France and the UK, the agreements will be facilitated when there is a balanced exchange of students from the onset: each student coming from one of the two involved research laboratories. The PIs or laboratory directors are required to have an existing collaboration with the partner laboratory in order to submit a request for Joint PhD.
Students follow the lectures and specific courses in place in both universities. At the end of their training, they write only one dissertation in one language, with a substantial summary on the other language and present one Viva voce to a common examination committee. The Examination Committee (Jury) generally includes one examiner from each of the collaborating institutions, one external examiner from each country, and the two supervisors. It is therefore quite different from the normal PhD examination committee in force in British university.
Added value for the student
A several months stay abroad is clearly a challenge for any student who must leave a research team in which he generally feels safe (in France, most of the time, he entered that team during his Master), get used to new lab habits and working methods, a new way of life in a foreign country, and a language whose practice is quite often far from fluency!
However, this challenge has been a real success for all students concerned: such an immersion in a foreign country for one or two years is the sign of an open mind and of adaptation abilities, which will be seen as a strong positive point in a CV. It also allows the student to initiate his/her own scientific collaborations, indispensable for his/her career development.
Added value for the research groups
PhD students and post-doctoral scientists are the living forces in a laboratory: having little or no pressure from administrative duty, eager to discover a new world of research and activity, challenged by new lectures and courses provided by the Doctoral School and/or the post-graduate Department, they can be fully involved in bench work, spend long periods of time in libraries or work on old archives.
Therefore, in addition to the personal benefits gained by the student, this latter provides a real bridge between the two research groups, and facilitates the bilateral collaboration.
Details of implementation
Franco-British bilateral scientific collaboration are many and varied and for most the Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy is generally not informed. Yet, all students involved in a Joint PhD so far have come from existing links between research teams. In order to develop this programme further in British Universities, negotiations must take place on a case by case basis.
It is therefore best to contact Dr Claire Mouchot, at the Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy, once a Joint PhD project emerges between two potential supervisors, before contacting the registrar offices in either university. Procedures and documents are specific to the Programme and each British University will carefully examine them before deciding whether to enter the Programme or not, according to its own criteria.
Once the British university has agreed to enter the Programme the Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy will then liaise with the President of the French University. Past experience has shown that the success rate is significantly increased if negotiations are being led by the Science and Technology Department of the French Embassy in London. Interested PIs should contact Dr Claire Mouchot, Science Attache.
Dr. Claire Mouchot
Phone : +44(0)20 7073 1394
EMail : claire.mouchot ambascience.co.uk