The eligibility criteria are:

• Compliance with the Marie Sklodowska-Curie mobility rule (as defined in MSCA Cofund Guide for Applicants 2023-2024): Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the application deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account. [Nextstep adds the following clarification: applicants should pay attention to the location of the host institute specified in each job advert as Nextstep PhD project hosts are located in four countries, France, Germany, Norway and Italy]
• Applicants must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment [Nextstep adds the following clarification: additionally, applicants should not be in the process of obtaining a doctoral degree at the moment of application].
• The candidate must be, at the time of recruitment, in possession of/or finalising a master's degree or equivalent degree which would formally entitle the candidate to embark on a doctorate.
• The candidate must be available for employment at the defined programme start date.
• Candidates must have a demonstrable level of English. A proof of upper-intermediate level must be included in the application; this should take the form of one of the recognised international qualifications (minimum CEFR B2, Cambridge English First (FCE), Cambridge Bulats >60, PTE Level 3, IELTS 5-6.5, TOEFL >72, TOEIC >750). Applicants originating from native-English-speaking countries can apply without the need for proof of level. An official degree (including postgraduate) conducted in English as the only language will be also accepted as a proof of level. If the applicant is unable to provide proof, an English test (free of charge) will be requested.
• Specific doctoral school requirements in terms of marks, experience, or any other matter that is a prerequisite to enrolment to the doctorate programme must be met. When applicable, such requirements will be indicated in each job advert/description.
• The candidate must have submitted a complete application through the ESRF recruitment web portal. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

We use the term doctoral candidate or Early-stage Researcher interchangeably with “PhD student”. Doctoral candidate is defined in Horizon Europe MSCA 2023-2024 as: not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Additionally, Nextstep expects candidates to be, at the time of recruitment, in possession of/or finalising a master's degree or equivalent degree which would formally entitle the candidate to embark on a doctorate.

The registering university for each PhD project has its own specific criteria that may be different from the generalisation above.

Non-European candidates can apply. There is no distinction made on nationality. For this programme, students are expected to change country. The only restriction is the Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie mobility rule: Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the application deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

The names of two referees are essential in the application. The referees will be consulted for each candidate selected for interview.

The working language of the Nextstep PhD project host institutes is
English. The candidate must have a demonstrable level of English. A proof of upper-intermediate level could be advantageously included in the application; this should take the form of one of the recognised international qualifications (minimum CEFR B2, Cambridge English First (FCE), Cambridge Bulats >60, PTE Level 3, IELTS 5-6.5, TOEFL >72, TOEIC >750). Applicants originating from native-English-speaking countries can apply without the need for proof of level. An official degree (including postgraduate) conducted in English as the only language will be also accepted as a proof of level. Students with a high level of English but without the above listed qualifications may still apply and their level of English will be checked during the interview.

We are very unlikely to be interested by your application. Please finish what you have started and then apply to our institutes for post-doctoral research opportunities.

All required documents on the application form must be provided before the deadline.

Yes. Proof will be required, and candidates should indicate the expected date of reception of certificate. A copy of the certificate will be required, and the employment (or continued employment) of the student will be conditional on its reception.

Yes. Proof will be required and candidates should indicate the expected date of thesis defence and expected date of reception of certificate. A copy of the certificate will eventually be required, and the employment (or continued employment) of the student will be conditional on its reception.

No, those documents must be presented to the HR Office on the first day of work. A copy of your final diploma will eventually be required, and continued employment will be conditional on this.

Yes, through the job applicant account that you create in the ESRF Recruitment Portal when you submit your application.

Yes, you will receive a confirmation by email.

You will be contacted via the ESRF Recruitment Portal, either to invite you to an interview (in person onsite or remotely by video conferencing), or to inform you that your application was rejected. This notification is expected within 6 weeks of the application deadline.

As you can imagine we will be very busy processing applications, we ask that if you have a query that you check the Guide for Applicants and this FAQ first. Additionally, further details can be found in the PhD project descriptions which will be advertised through the ESRF Recruitment Portal. If, having read through all the guidance available to you, you are still unclear only then you can send a message by email to nextstep-contact@esrf.fr.
Please bear in mind that we may be receiving a high volume of enquiries and there may be a delay in responding.