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The individual thesis follow-up committee (CSI) is defined by “ Article 13 de la loi de 25 mai 2016, modifié par l’article 11 de l’arrêté du 26 Août 2022 and by the Doctorate Charter of the Universities of Strasbourg and Haute Alsace”.

According to the law, “The individual thesis follow-up committee provides support for the latter throughout the doctorate. It must meet before registration in the second year and then before each new registration until the end of the doctorate.

This interview is an opportunity for everyone (doctoral student, thesis director, management of the research unit and the Doctoral School) to take stock of the path already taken by the doctoral student, to reorient or clarify the research and to envisage the next phases. It allows a researcher or teacher-researcher from outside the research unit to be involved in the work.

From 01/01/2023 onwards, the individualised follow-up committee will be annual and mandatory.  There will be no derogation.

The individualised follow-up committees must therefore meet from March onwards, before the re-registration campaign.

CSI management module via the AMETHIS platform (FR and EN procedure): CSI report, with the experts’ opinion is submitted to AMETHIS, then read first by the doctoral school management who gives an opinion, then let readable by the doctoral student, by the thesis supervisor, and  by research unit director.

YEAR 2026 ==> 10 July 2026 : deadline for sending the CSI report on the plateform amethis améthis : https://amethis3.unistra.fr/amethis-client/faq > Comité de Suivi Individuel (CSI) > [Correspondant·e du CSI] Comment transmettre le compte-rendu d’une réunion du comité et déposer l’avis du CSI ?)

NB: When re-registering on the AMETHIS application, doctoral students must upload their CSI. Without a CSI, re-registration will not be possible.

CSI form FR word
CSI form EN word

Implementation of the monitoring committee (FR) : click to upload

Composition of the CSI:
During the launch campaign for the composition of the ISC addressed to 1st-year doctoral students : the doctoral student and his/her thesis supervisor consult each other at the start of the thesis to decide on the composition of the committee. The doctoral student must explicitly agree to the composition. The composition is validated by the Doctoral School and will be included in the individual training agreement (CIF).

Composition of the CSI : see details in the document Implementing the ISC.

However, it is not compulsory for the ISC to have three members: a minimum of two is required. With one specialist in the discipline and one “external to the field” = to the field of research activity, not a specialist in the discipline

Please note about the composition of the examination panel: CSI members may not act as rapporteurs during the defence, however, they may act as examiners.

Documents required for the CSI and its members :

* Synthesis: written report on the activity developed in the research work for the thesis. This exercise allows the PhD student to familiarise himself/herself with and anticipate the writing of the thesis. Format: a 2-4 page summary, to set the context and highlight the important results of the thesis work.

* Training plan: provide the training report that can be downloaded from the AMETHIS application, list of further coming training courses if needed (according to the Convention Individuelle de Formation (CIF)) and/or complete with other training courses in view)

REMINDER: 2 mandatory training courses must be completed in order to enrol in 2nd year
1st :  Integrity charter in Scientific profession
2nd:  MOOC Research integrity in scientific professions (Bordeaux)

* Portfolio: see HERE

The courses offered by the ED have a twofold objective: to broaden the doctor’s scientific field of expertise and prepare him for his professional integration. In accordance with his career plan, each doctoral student will draw up his individual training plan (PIF) which he will submit for approval to the director of ED during the annual interview. During his thesis, the doctoral student will have to follow 108 hours of training divided into 54 hours of scientific training and 54 hours of transversal training.

Scientific trainings

Cross-training courses

To be admitted in the first year, the following conditions must be met:

• Hold a master’s degree conferred by a French university. The average grade of the master – calculated from the averages of the 4 semesters – must be at least 12/20.
• Have obtained the agreement of a thesis director (DT) authorized to direct research.
• Exceptionally, the ED may admit candidates who have obtained the research master with an average of 2 years (M1 or equivalent + M2) between 11 and 11.99 on prior examination of the file by the ED pedagogical committee which gives an opinion on registration.
  
• Applicants whose M2 equivalent degree is awarded by a foreign university, must apply for an exemption from the French MASTER. To save time, it is advisable to file the corresponding file as soon as possible. The request for exemption (in French / in English) is examined by the pedagogical committee of ED and must reach the secretariat of the doctoral school no later than the following dates:

•  !!  NEW calendar 2025 !! Deadlines for submitting exemption applications !!

Wednesday 26 Februar, Friday 9 May, Friday 20 June, Friday 29 August, and Friday 21 November 2025

1st doctoral registration

Enrollment : from June to 31  October

List of documents requested on the application with signature of the doctoral student, the thesis director and the director of the research unit for a 1st registration:

• The request for 1st registration on Amethis
• A research project based on a 2-3 page document the doctoral charter signed by the different parties
• A certificate of audition (form in EN), conducted by two experts (at least one of whom is external to the thesis)
• The doctoral charter (French doc. /English not available at present) signed by all parties, except ED 182
• A financing certificate indicating the source of the financing, its net or gross monthly amount for three years. The amount must be at least the level of a doctoral contract from the University (2022 € gross monthly as of 1st January 2023). Holders of a doctoral contract awarded by the ED are exempt from providing this document.
• A curriculum vitae describing in particular the university course of the candidate (all years from the final high school class with indication of results, mentions, sessions)
• The certificate of achievement or the copy of the MASTER diploma
• A copy of the master’s final transcripts (years Bac + 4 and Bac +5)
  

It is recalled that candidates who do not hold a French master’s degree or equivalent are subject to the derogatory registration application procedure.

2nd year

Period for electronic filing of files: from June to 30 September 2025

List of documents requested on the application:

• The request for a 2nd registration on Amethis
• Have followed the training via MOOC Integrity – MANDATORY training in the 1st year
• Have followed the Code of Ethics training – registration via AMETHIS – MANDATORY training
• Review of the past year based on progress (2-3 pages) including a list of scientific and professional courses taken during the year, participation in schools, publications published or in progress, etc. …
• A funding certificate
• The individual training agreement (CIF) which is sent to you in the middle of the 1st year of the thesis
• A report from the thesis monitoring committee following link: https://edpcp.ipcms.fr/?p=3654&lang=en
  

3rd year

For your third (and in principle last) registration, you must provide:

• The request for a 3rd registration on Amethis
• A funding certificate Progress report (3-5 pages) including a list of scientific and professional courses taken during the year, participation in schools, publications published or in progress, oral presentation of the thesis at mid-term. Particular attention will be paid to the progress of your thesis. Finally, you will be asked to outline your post-thesis project. It will be a question of specifying as far as possible if you wish to pursue a profession in research, basic or applied, or if you prefer to go in other directions. In these different cases, you will need to specify the strategy you intend to use to achieve this. For example, if you wish to enter the CNRS or the University, it is advisable to contact the corresponding laboratories and ask them for the profiles of the positions likely to be published in the next two years. It is then possible to choose a post-doc knowingly.
• A provisional work schedule
• A report from the thesis monitoring committee following link: https://edpcp.ipcms.fr/?p=3654&lang=en
• List of courses taken edited from Amethis A list of your publications

4th year and beyond

You must provide:

• The request for 4th registration and beyond on Amethis
• A funding certificate Detailed proof of the reason for the extension
• A 10-page progress report
• A list of your publications
• List of courses taken edited from Amethis
• A report from the thesis monitoring committee (CSI)  – only if the defenses does not take place before 31 December.  Should the defense takes place before 31 December please refer to the underneath point.
• A provisional defense schedule signed by you and your thesis supervisor

Thesis defenses between October 1st and December 31st

Doctoral students defending their thesis between 1st October and 31st December must re-register on Amethis, but will not have to pay registration fees and CVEC. The following documents must be provided:

• The jury proposal (with the date of the defense) validated by the pedagogical commission and signed by the director of the ED
• The defense certificate (= defense before 31st December) available here
• The thesis summary
• The list of publications
• The last report of the monitoring committee
• The financing certificate
• List of courses taken edited from Amethis

Pay attention to administrative delays for your thesis defense.   In particular, doctoral students in cotutelle must take into account the sometimes complex administrative procedures of their two universities before defense. Therefore, it is advisable to anticipate at least 2 additional months compared to the normal delay.

==> 2025 priority topics : All topics are published

[Priority topics of passed years]

CNRS As part of its training mission to and through research, the CNRS offers funding to PhD students who wish to prepare a thesis at the end of a third cycle of studies.

CIFRE Industrial Conventions of Training by Research allowing to realize a thesis of doctorate in company. Your company and your host laboratory rely on your creative mind by entrusting you with the responsibility of a research project on which they establish a partnership.

CEA National Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology.

DGA Délégation générale pour l’armement.

The Association Bernard Gregory (ABG) offers on its website updated information on PhD funding opportunities from research organizations, universities, foundations or associations. You will also find all kinds of information on finding a job.

The Région Grand ‘ Est (including Alsace) offers doctoral contracts for the preparation of theses in any institution of higher education or research located in Alsace. Particular attention is paid to applications co-financed by another partner (research or technology transfer organizations, companies, etc.).

Doctoral contract of the University

The award of a doctoral contract from the University of Strasbourg is subject to a number of conditions. University contracts are awarded by the Doctoral School to PhD topics grouped under Priority Themes. Applicants who hold a Master’s degree are invited to send their file to the thesis director of their choice, who forward it to the Doctoral School for examination. The allocation of an allocation is definitive only after approval of the Doctoral School.

In addition to the thesis topics above, there are other theses proposals, which should be consulted regularly. They allow you to prepare a thesis in a university or industrial laboratory, in France or abroad.