The Risk Research Programme (IRiMa), jointly led by BRGM, CNRS and Université Grenoble Alpes, aims to formalise a science of risk in order to contribute to the development of a new strategy for risk and disaster management and for addressing their impacts in the context of global, anthropogenic and climate change.
In this context, there is a growing demand for safety from citizens and socio-economic stakeholders. To meet this challenge, which is intensified by climate disruption, it is necessary to consolidate, stimulate and coordinate national research efforts. The chosen approach, which is holistic and integrative, brings together geosciences, climate and environmental sciences, engineering, data and digital sciences, as well as the social sciences and humanities.
Objectives
This call aims to enhance the visibility and impact of research carried out within the various projects of the Risk Programme and to contribute to the research training of young scientists through support for their international mobility during their contract period. This mobility will provide them with international exposure and facilitate their professional integration (postdoctoral positions, international careers, etc.).
This support for international mobility will take the form of financial assistance open to PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers of the programme (excluding joint PhD supervision schemes under the Risk Programme).
Each year, one or more PhD candidates and/or postdoctoral researchers of the Risk Programme may benefit from this support once only, for a mobility period of 3 to 6 months, with funding capped at €1,800 per month to contribute to the costs of their stay (round-trip travel and accommodation at the host institution).
For this call, the mobility period must take place between March 2026 and March 2027.
Organisation of the call
The call will be conducted in two phases:
- submission of an application via the electronic form (link below) no later than 2 February 2026 at midnight;
- selection of the applications that will receive funding allocated by the INTERRISK project of the Risk Programme.
Eligibility
Potential beneficiaries of the funding are primarily PhD candidates of the Risk Programme who will be in their second year of doctoral studies in 2026. Applications from other PhD candidates and from postdoctoral researchers will be considered as a second priority.
Applications must address the following points:
Description of the mobility stay, according to the fields of the application form (location, associated research project, schedule, budget, CV, etc.).
Required documents:
- a two-page description of the mobility project, outlining its relevance to the applicant’s research, its contribution to the applicant’s professional development, its coherence with the applicant’s research project, and its expected benefits for the Risk Programme;
- the applicant’s CV;
- proof of PhD enrolment or a copy of the first page of the postdoctoral contract;
- a letter of invitation from the host institution specifying the nature and duration of the stay, and including mandatory approval from the management of the host laboratory;
- validation from the scientific supervisors: letters describing the planned stay, signed by the PhD supervisor(s) and/or the postdoctoral supervisor, including their reasoned opinions.
Evaluation criteria
The proposed mobility must focus on research questions directly related to the applicant’s ongoing research and aligned with existing research actions within the Risk Programme, including programme projects, other PEPR projects, and projects funded through the programme’s calls for expressions of interest and generic calls for proposals.
The evaluation criteria are as follows:
- mobility preferably within Europe;
- being in the second year of a PhD within the Risk Programme at the time of the mobility. Except in duly justified cases, applications from first- and third-year PhD candidates, as well as postdoctoral researchers, are not the primary targets of this call;
- coherence and quality of the mobility project in relation to the applicant’s research conducted within the Risk Programme, and its relevance to the applicant’s career development;
- opinion of the director of the applicant’s research unit regarding the importance of this international collaboration for the laboratory (and ranking of the laboratory’s applications, where applicable);
- expected impact in terms of international visibility for the Risk Programme;
- realism of the proposed budget, including disclosure of all co-funding requested, where applicable.