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How to apply for a thesis or post-doctoral study at CNES

Conditions for candidature


  • For thesis contracts, university candidates or graduates of a Grande Ecole or engineering school must hold a Master 2 degree awarded by a university, or a suitable degree enabling them to enrol for their thesis at the relevant doctoral school.
  • For post-doctoral contracts, candidates should hold a doctorate or equivalent by the start of the contract. Applications from researchers who have already benefited from a thesis contract co-sponsored by CNES will not be considered.

Application form 2011


Once a year CNES awards about a hundred research grants in the domain of engineering sciences (orbital and space transport systems), and those sciences which make use of space equipment (sciences of the cosmos, Earth, and microgravity) to young French and foreign scientists who have an interest in space. If you are interested in one subject, you must contact first of all, the responsible of that subject in CNES or in the laboratory. Then, you can apply  by sending the application form to one of  the adresses below :

  • To apply for a doctoral or post-doctoral grant in the domain of engineering sciences (orbital systems), send by e.mail the application form filled and signed to : bourse.toulouse@cnes.fr for March 31st 2011 at the latest.
  • To apply for a doctoral or post-doctoral grant in the domain of engineering sciences (space transport systems), send by e.mail the application form filled and signed to : bourse.evry@cnes.fr or by mail to CNES, Candidature à une bourse de recherche, Josiane LACOMME, Rond point de l'Espace, Courcouronnes, 91 023 Evry Cedex for March 31st 2011 at the latest.
  • To apply for a doctoral or post-doctoral grant in the domain of sciences which make use of space equipments (sciences of the cosmos, Earth and microgravity), send by e.mail the application form filled and signed to : bourse.paris@cnes.fr or by mail to CNES, Candidature à une bourse de recherche, Myriana LOZACH, 2 pl Maurice Quentin, 75 039 Paris Cedex 1 for March 31st 2011 at the latest. As the post-doctoral topics are not pre selected in that domain, applicants are invited to propose first their research project and the host laboratory to the CNES responsible of the thematics and then apply by sending the application form.

Procedure timetable 2011


The topics pre selected for 2011 will be available on Janv 1st 2011.


Only the applicants for a post-doctoral grant will be invited for an interview in May 2011 (to be confirmed).

Juries selection will meet in mid-June 2011.

Dissemination of results will be done individually after the grant committee at the end of June 2011.

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