Young researchers & platforms grants

From physics to photobiology, via photochemistry, ultrafast spectroscopy techniques, laser nanostructuring, and physicochemical characterization under illumination, LUMA platforms offer a range of exceptional resources aimed at better understanding and optimizing light-matter interactions, in line with the various PEPR research areas: Chirality, Energy & Environment, Photochemistry & Materials, Health.

If you think your research could benefit from these high-level instruments, but organizing these future experiments requires a certain amount of preliminary data, testing, synthesis, or characterization, these grants are available to you.

Reserved for young researchers, these grants aim to support preliminary experiments prior to accessing the LUMA platform.

Eligibility criteria

Doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers, and young recruits (<10 years after their thesis) attached to a national research structure, whose research team is not involved in a research project already funded by the LUMA PEPR. The project must aim to carry out preparatory experiments for access to a LUMA Infrastructure Hub platform. This platform access must be achieved within 12 months of the grant being awarded. The grant application and the platform access request must be made jointly.

Support granted

A maximum of €10,000 for operating expenses and small equipment necessary to carry out preliminary experiments for future platform access (provisional budget to be provided), or even internship funding. Platform access costs will be covered by PEPR LUMA, outside of this budget, according to the usual terms and conditions of the LUMA Infrastructure Hub.

Application procedure

Applications may be submitted at any time. Applicants are invited to contact the platform managers prior to setting up their project in order to discuss the feasibility of the desired experiment.

All applications must be submitted by completing the following two steps:
1) Fill out the scholarship application form (online);
2) Download the template below, complete it, and submit it via the LUMA Infrastructure Hub portal.
If either of these two steps is not completed, the application will not be considered.

Evaluation and selection

Two sessions are planned for reviewing applications. For the first session, selection will be made from among the applications received by November 20, 2025. For the second session, selection will be made from among the applications received by April 20, 2026.
Applications will be evaluated by external experts and by the program management team according to the following criteria:
•    Scientific quality and relevance of the project in relation to the objectives and themes of the LUMA PEPR.
•    Adequacy of the project in terms of the technical feasibility of a LUMA Infrastructure Hub platform;