Of course, whatever your nationality is, you can apply to DESTINY2 PhD Programme. However, you have to respect the MSCA mobility rule, reported in the Guide for Applicants and question below.

No, there is no age limit and no restrictions based on disability/special needs, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, social status, sexual orientation, etc. Applicants who have had career interruptions due to maternity/parental leave (F/M), career break (or non-research related working periods), military service, or long illnesses are encouraged to apply.

Additional experience is always considered a plus and positively valued, but it is not mandatory. All candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of whether they already have extra research or professional experience.

The candidates must comply with the doctoral candidate definition: "At the call deadline, researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the open calls. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Recruited researchers must be enrolled in a doctoral programme leading to the award of a doctoral degree".

For more details, see the Guide for applicants.

No, you can't apply with your own subject, you can only apply on Cohort Topics. 

You must complete the Application Form Global Document and upload it as a SINGLE PDF (SURNAME-Name.pdf) and submit it onto the CNRS job portal. For technical reasons, please upload your fully completed single Application form twice at “Attach a new CV” and “Cover letter”. The applicant must also ensure that he/she complies with all the mobility rules & eligibility requirements set out and explained in the Guide for applicants.

Finally, you should provide us with a video record of yourself speaking (3 minutes max.), presenting yourself and a topic of your choice related to energy storage. Upload your video file using the link provided in the “Application FORM Global Document” and name it as follows: SURNAME-Name.

No. Separate applications to the respective universities are not allowed. Please submit a single application through the CNRS portal only. The selection for the DESTINY2 programme is centralised. Selected candidates will start procedures to be registered at the host institution after the selection process ends, during the summer of 2026. These administrative procedures will not be part of the selection process and prospective DESTINY fellows will benefit from the guidance of the DESTINY administrative team and of the administrative staff of the local institutions.

You may contact supervisors and secondment hosts to ask technical or scientific questions about the project.

However, direct applications or informal submissions will not be considered. Supervisors are not involved in the selection process for candidates who have applied to their subject. Any application sent outside the CNRS portal will not be considered.

No, the Europass format is mandatory. It should not exceed two pages. The link redirecting to the Europass website is available in the Guide for Applicants. It should not exceed two pages.

Produce a video with a maximum duration of 3 minutes, structured in two parts:

1. A first part in which you introduce yourself very shortly (academic background, scientific interests, and motivation).

2. A second part focusing on energy storage. You may choose one or several topics related to the five themes you selected in your statement letter.

It's a free part, be inspired and express your ideas! 

The video must be uploaded using the link provided in the Application Global Form.

Please follow these steps:

1. Enter your SURNAME_Name.

2. Confirm the entry.

3. Upload the video.

Recommendation letters may be provided by professors, industry professionals (e.g. internship supervisors), or PhD holders, provided that they know the applicant well.

The referee should be clearly identifiable (for example through an institutional webpage or a LinkedIn profile) and ideally recognized in their field.

However, the most important criterion is that the referee has a strong and direct knowledge of the applicant’s work, skills, and potential.

Yes, your application will be evaluated with this result.

Yes, you must provide a certificate from your university stating that your master degree was in English. 

Please submit an official certificate of an English Proficiency Test if you have one. If the certificate has expired (even recently), a valid certificate is required.

• 5 January, 2026 to 28 February, 2026 midnight (France's time zone): Applications.
• March 2026: Eligibility check of the applications.
• April 2026: Grading from paper applications.
• May 2026: Oral interviews. 
• June 2026: Final selection and topic-student attribution.

The IP is your employer, which will pay your salary and issue your working contract.

The GI is the place where you will register (for the doctoral school) and which delivers the diploma. 

The HL is the place where you will do your PhD thesis.

In some cases, the Implementing partner and the Grading Institution are the same organisation. The distinction notably applies to CNRS PhD Fellows. CNRS is a national research organisation with branches in different universities all over France. PhD candidates will be employed by CNRS but they will receive their degree from the host university. CNRS is not a higher education establishment and therefore cannot issue doctoral degrees.

The DESTINY2 Team ensures that the process runs well and guarantees that the European Charter is respected.

A secondment is a period of time spent conducting research at an institution different from your hosting laboratory. It can be a different research organisation or a company. The duration of secondments varies from subject to subject. Most DESTINY2 secondments last between 1 and 3 months. The total amount of time spent doing a secondment cannot be longer than 1/3 or the PhD course, i.e. 13 months in the case of DESTINY. PhD fellows will have a supervisor at the secondment institution.  Short visits to other labs and research facilities do not count as secondments.

The Hosting Institution (HI) and Hosting Laboratory (HL) will be in charge of drafting your working contract. 

The DESTINY2 Team ensures that the process runs well and guarantees that the European Charter is respected.

The Hosting Institution (HI) and Hosting Laboratory (HL) will provide guidance once the selection process is completed.

The Mobility Allowance corresponds to an additional grant assigned to the Awarded Fellow in order to cover students’ costs linked to the installation and initial travel. The amount of this allowance is 5 000 €. For most cases, it will be monthly included into the gross salary. In some hosting institutions it may be credited separately. 

In most cases, your salary gives you social coverage (health insurance) as a basis. You will have the opportunity to subscribe for a complementary insurance, depending on where you work.

For Cohort#1, the thesis is expected to start in October 2026. 

For Cohort#2, it will be in October 2027.

It depends of the Hosting Laboratory, some of them will ask to fill a form and others are not concerned. The HL will be responsible for starting and monitoring the procedure for selected candidates soon after they have accepted their position in the DESTINY programme and have confirmed their research topic. Receiving ZRR clearance can take up to 3 months.