Call for Applications: The Chateaubriand Fellowship Program

Call for Applications: The Chateaubriand Fellowship Program

Expand your research in STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences globally. Apply today for the Chateaubriand Fellowship.

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a prestigious grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports exceptional PhD students from U.S. institutions who wish to conduct part of their doctoral research in France in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Health and Humanities & Social Sciences for a period of 4 to 9 months.  

Fellows are selected through a competitive, merit-based process, with evaluations conducted by experts in both France and the United States. 

For more information, click here and learn more below.  

Humanities & Social Sciences

The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) targets outstanding PhD students enrolled in U.S. institutions who seek to engage in research in France in any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The HSS Chateaubriand program is supported by Campus France, which provides assistance to fellows on site. 

Eligibility & Guidelines 

The Chateaubriand fellowship program allows young scholars to broaden their experience and networks by spending several months at a French higher-education institution. The fellows will be able to engage in dissertation research and interact with a French mentor and scholars. 

We offer two types of fellowships: 

  • Fall Fellowship, 4 months 
  • Spring Fellowship, 4 months 

Eligibility 

  • You must be currently working on your PhD 
  • You must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible, dual French citizens are also not eligible) 
  • All HSS research topics are eligible including law, political science and economics 
  • You must obtain a letter of agreement from your advisor(s) in the U.S., as well as a letter of invitation from a professor affiliated with a French university or research institution 
  • Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis 
  • Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution 

Calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year 

  • Application deadline: January 10, 2025 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST 
  • Award Notification: May 2025 

Benefits 

  • Monthly allowance (up to 1704 euros/month, it cannot be added to other French State funded fellowships like Fulbright during the duration of your stay in France) 
  • A round trip ticket to France 
  • Health insurance for the duration of the fellowship 

Selection process 

Applications are evaluated both by a French and an American scholar, before being reviewed by a final selection committee. 

Selection criteria are as follow: 

  • Academic relevance of the research project 
  • Applicant’s command of the subject 
  • Applicant’s command of the Literature in the Field 
  • Added Value of Research in France 
  • Contribution to FR/US Research Dialogue 

How to apply 

To apply, please fill in the online form. You will be asked to provide the following information: 

  • Contact details 
  • Academic background (degrees, fellowships) 
  • Main accomplishments (awards, publications, conferences, etc.) 
  • Research project in the U.S. (summary, U.S. advisor contact details) 
  • Research project in France (summary, French advisor contact details) 

Requested documents 

Please upload the following documents with your application: 

  • Detailed description of your research project 
  • Letter of agreement from your U.S. research advisor 
  • Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France 
  • A letter of recommendation 
  • Copies of your transcripts 

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. 

Please consult the guidelines for instructions, including content and format requirements. 

Optional documents: 

  • Second letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor. 
  • Joint supervision Agreement (co-tutelle): if your PhD is being carried out under a joint agreement between a US and a French university (co-tutelle), please provide the official agreement between your PhD advisor and your host professor for a joint supervision. 

 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Health

The Chateaubriand fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Biology-Health (STEM) for doctoral students aims to reinforce partnerships or joint projects between French and American research teams. This fellowship is offered by the Office for Science & Technology (OST) of the Embassy of France in partnership with American universities and French research organizations such as Inserm and Inria. It is a partner of the National Science Foundation’s GROW program. 

Eligibility 

  • You must be currently working on your PhD 
  • You must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible) 
  • All STEM and Health research topics are eligible 
  • Research should be performed in a French laboratory (university, engineering school, public research laboratory…) 
  • Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis 
  • Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution 
  • Co-sponsorship by a candidate’s American university or French host institution is encouraged 

Calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year 

  • Application deadline: January 10, 2025 at 12:00 pm (noon) ET 
  • Award Notification: May 2025 
  • The fellowship in France for the 2025-2026 academic year must start between September 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026

Benefits 

  • Monthly allowance (up to 1750 euros/month, depending on other sources of funding) 
  • Round trip ticket to France 
  • Support for health insurance abroad  

Required information/documents for the online application 

  • Contact information 
  • List of degrees received and copies of transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are accepted. 
  • List of publications 
  • List of past fellowships received 
  • List of other fellowships for which you are applying 
  • Summary of your thesis research in the US 
  • Summary of research to be performed in France 
  • Detailed description of your thesis research in the US including your project in France (3 pages) 
  • Letter of agreement from your US thesis advisor agreeing that part of your thesis will be co-supervised by a French colleague. This letter should also highlight your work, explain how a stay in France would be useful to both the lab and your project and how it will strengthen the existing or planned collaboration between your home and host laboratories 
  • Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France agreeing to co-supervise part of your thesis. This letter should also describe the existing or planned collaboration between the home and host laboratories and include information about what your stay in France will bring to the host lab and your project 
  • At least one letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor 
  • Contact information of the host laboratory in France 
  • If your application is linked to an existing French-American collaboration, please be ready to provide information on this collaboration 

Selection criteria 

  • Academic relevance of the research project 
  • Student’s command of the subject 
  • Benefits of a research trip to France for the future of the collaboration 
  • Background of the research collaboration 
  • Contribution of the project to France/US academic exchange 

Identifying a host laboratory 

It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and contact a French laboratory that would like to collaborate with your university, laboratory or thesis advisor. 

Apply here by January 10, 2025. 

 

Image: (c) Naassom Azevedo