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 student, post-doctoral researcher, and young recruit (ANR criteria1) attached to a national research structure, who is not personnaly involved in a research project 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
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 application form and attaching the grant proposal (5 pages max), for which a template is available below.
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;
- The candidate must have defended their doctoral thesis less than 10 years prior to the application deadline. For young permanent staff, they must have been in their position for less than 5 years. Exceptions to these conditions are possible in certain circumstances (maternity/paternity leave, etc.). ↩︎