Home / Opportunities / BEST Doctoral Programme — 1st call for PhD Fellowships (MSCA COFUND), Université de Toulouse
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BEST Doctoral Programme — 1st call for PhD Fellowships (MSCA COFUND), Université de Toulouse

Fully funded Open
Closes soon23 Nov 2026 — , 12:00 Paris time
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Université de Toulouse and partnersUniversité de Toulouse and partners

Key facts

Stipend
€2,800/mo
Subject
Multidisciplinary — Health & well-being; Global changes; Sus
Intake
2026
Degree
PhD
Deadline
23 Nov 2026
~19 awards/yr

Overview

A brand-new EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND doctoral programme at the University of Toulouse offering up to 19 fully-funded PhD positions — a real salaried job (€2,800/month), not a stipend. Projects tackle health, global change and sustainability, many with international co-supervision (e.g. cotutelle options with partners abroad).

Why it is notable: a first-call COFUND programme most applicants have never heard of — no big-brand name, no aggregator coverage yet — but with MSCA prestige, a proper employment contract, and mobility funding baked in.
Funding at a glance

What it covers

  • Fully funded: full-time 36-month French doctoral employment contract
  • competitive net monthly salary of approximately €2,800 before income tax
  • plus €350/month travel and mobility allowance. Up to 19 fellowships
  • start 1 September 2027

Eligibility criteria

Qualification Required
Masters/MPhilfor PhD
This scholarship is offered for PhD programs.
Who can applyall nationalities; must hold a Master's degree or equivalent by the deadline; must NOT already hold a doctoral degree.
ExperienceNo experience required
Language Certificategood level of English required; minimum B2 proof per programme announcements (confirm in the official Guide for Applicants)
Other CertificatesDegree certificates & transcripts
Age Limitnone specified (unverified)

Check your eligibility

Run all three quick checks before reviewing your chosen course's full entry requirements.

1

Country checker

all nationalities; must hold a Master's degree or equivalent by the deadline; must NOT already hold a doctoral degree.

2

Last degree checker

Choose your highest completed qualification to see which degree level may fit.

3

Course checker

Pick a course to see whether it falls inside this scholarship's scope.

Complete all three checks

Your combined result will appear here.

Based on published eligibility — always confirm on the official page before applying.

Application essentials

Requirements

Review each requirement before you begin the application.

01

Language

good level of English required; minimum B2 proof per programme announcements (confirm in the official Guide for Applicants)

02

Qualification

all nationalities; must hold a Master's degree or equivalent by the deadline; must NOT already hold a doctoral degree.

03

Documents

Master's degree; Master's transcripts; B2 English proof; passport/ID; two reference letters; BEST Ethics Self-Assessment; Identification Form; Project Form; plus a doctoral-school letter for self-init

Document checklist

01Master's degree
02Master's transcripts
03B2 English proof
04passport/ID
05two reference letters
06BEST Ethics Self-Assessment
07Identification Form
08Project Form
09plus a doctoral-school letter for self-initiated projects.
Application fee
No fee — completely free
No separate scholarship application fee is published; confirm on the official page.
Visa, kept concise: Visa type: with a full-time French doctoral employment contract, fellows typically enter on the "passeport talent – chercheur" long-stay visa (rather than the standard student visa), supported by a hosting agreement (convention d'accueil)…

Application Procedure

5 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.

01

Read the Guide for Applicants and the

published thesis project list (linked from the Euraxess posting / programme website).

→
02

Choose up to two established projects —

or design one self-initiated project and identify two supervisors before the deadline (contact them early; see the email template below).

→
03

Prepare all documents in English

in PDF, using the official templates and file-naming conventions.

↓
05

Deadline: 23 November 2026

12:00 Paris time. Then: eligibility check (late Nov) → written evaluation (Dec–Jan) → project consolidation (Jan–Mar) → interviews 29 Mar–4 Apr 2027 (10-min presentation + 25-min Q&A) → results from 9 Apr 2027.

←
04

Submit online ONLY through the BEST application

portal. Applications by email or post are not considered.

Application milestones

23 Nov 2026
Application deadline
2026
Intake year
Ready to apply?
Continue on the official Université de Toulouse and partners platform.
Apply Now

Frequently asked questions

When is the application deadline?
23 Nov 2026 — , 12:00 Paris time (UTC+2)
Who can apply?
all nationalities; must hold a Master's degree or equivalent by the deadline; must NOT already hold a doctoral degree.
What does the scholarship cover?
Fully funded: full-time 36-month French doctoral employment contract; competitive net monthly salary of approximately €2,800 before income tax; plus €350/month travel and mobility allowance. Up to 19 fellowships; start 1 September 2027
Where do I apply?
Through the official application portal linked in the Official links section on this page.

Need document or attestation help?

Detailed attestation guidance stays in Opplore's standalone Guides section, not inside this scholarship page.

Open Opplore guides

Key contacts

Université de Toulouse and partners

Published on official pages

best-helpdesk@utoulouse.fr

After you win

Accept

per the offer instructions and deadlines.

Conditions

submit final degree/transcripts; finish HEC → MOFA attestation now if pending.

Medical

any programme/contract medical requirements (confirm with the programme).

Insurance

French social security registration comes with the employment contract — confirm health coverage start date with the host institution.

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