Excellence Scholarships
InnovInOnco Graduate Programme
Call for applications from December 10 to January 26
We are pleased to announce the launch of the Excellence Scholarship Campaign for Masters students who wish to attend one of the masters of the InnovInOnco graduate initative.
About the InnovInOnco Graduate Programme
The InnovInOnco Graduate Programm aims at training students in the fields of oncology.
These scholarships are intended for foreign students wishing to enroll in the following master program for the academic year 2026-2027:
Master Cancer as Master 1 student
Master Cancer as Master 2 student in one of the specialities described below (Cancer Biology, Therapeutid innovations in oncology, Cancer Bioengineering)
Master Nanoscale Engineering as Master 1 or Master 2 student
Choice of three possible specialities in Master 2 for the Master Cancer:
Cancer Biology (in English on demand): Focus on the latest fundamental discoveries in the biological mechanisms of cancer – Lectures given by internationally recognised researchers. The 1st semester consists of a series of seminars on the latest developments in oncology, a symposium organized by the students themselves, common to all 4 Cancer master’s courses, and a 2 months-research internship. The 2nd semester consists of courses that enable students to build a research project in response to a research call, courses on technological innovations and a 4 months-research internship.
Therapeutic Innovations in Oncology (in English on demand): Focus on drug design, therapeutic innovations and clinical trials in oncology in collaboration with Professors from the Lyon Veterinary School (cancers in pets). The 1st semester consists of courses dedicated to drug design, clinical trials and pharmaco-toxicology, a symposium organized by the students themselves, common to all 4 Cancer master’s courses, and a 2 months-research internship. The 2sd semester consists of lectures organized by Lyon Veterinary School professors on spontaneous animal cancers and their potential as a model for studying human cancers, courses that enable students to build a research project in response to a research call and a 4 months-research internship.
Cancer Bioengineering Master (entirely in English): Focus on the transdisciplinary teaching of physico-chemical properties of cancers, innovative technologies (3D models, microphysiolygical systems, tumor-on-chip) to better approach the physiology of the tumour in vitro. The 1st semester consists to an introduction to multidisciplinary complexity of cancer, lectures on innovative in vitro models, Physical aspects of cancer, engineering project, quantitative approaches and a symposium organized by the students themselves, common to all 4 Cancer master’s courses. The 2sd semester consists of a 6 months-research internship. With a strongly international focus, this speciality welcomes over 50% international students, and courses are taught entirely in English.
Master Nanoscale Engineering: The nanoscience and nanotechnology master’s program offers the opportunity to explore nanotechnologies in a stimulating scientific and cultural environment. This multidisciplinary and international program is designed for students wishing to pursue an academic or industrial career.
In two years, the curriculum provides a solid theoretical foundation and practical expertise in fabrication, characterization and design of structures and systems at the nanoscale. Graduates are trained to lead innovative projects at the interface of these cutting-edge disciplines.
With a strongly international focus, this master’s program welcomes over 70% international students, and courses are taught entirely in English. Numerous international scientists of international renown are also invited to give seminars throughout the year.
This training programme is part of the Graduate+ project involving four French universities on the Lyon – Saint-Etienne site: Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Jean Moulin and Université Jean Monnet.
Graduate + is a programme of training through research reuniting 4 French higher education institutions, 15 transdisciplinary thematic programmes of excellence from undergraduate to doctoral level, intensive immersion in the world of research, scholarships for international students as well as scholarships for international mobility.
To find out more about the Graduate + project: https://graduate-plus.fr/
Scholarship amount
The amount of the scholarship is €1000 per month for 10 months, totaling €10 000 per year per recipient.
(8 scholarships available for the upcoming academic year)
Eligibility criteria
To be a foreign student, newcomer to a French university and living outside of France at the time of the application (French dual citizenship allowed)
Having obtained a Bachelor degree or 1 year of Master in the field related to oncology, or related interdisciplinary fields (biosciences, biophysics, bioinformatics).
Award criteria
Excellence of the academic background
Internship experiences and technical skills in research
Motivation and consistency of the professional project
Application Procedure
Submissions open: December 10th, 2025
Deadline for applications: January 26th, 2026
Candidates must submit their application via the dedicated SFRI platform:
On the first connection – create personal account.
Once registered – access to the current call by selecting: “International Master scholarship” and then “INNOVINCO””
The applicant will have to upload the documents described below. Documents marked with an asterisk are mandatory and the system will not validate the submission if no file is uploaded (cf. also details below). Please upload all documents as PDFs:
Mandatory (*)
Copy of an official identity document
Curriculum Vitae(1 page)
Motivation letter (1 page explaining the applicant’s career goals, how this Master’s program will help the applicant to achieve them and their motivations to join Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. In the letter you should explicitly indicate which specific Master path you intend to join (M1, M2 FCN, M2 SNA, M2 CNS).
Certificate of the highest degree obtained
For M1 applicants: Bachelor degree (180 ECTS for European students)
For M2 applicants: Master 1 degree or 4 year Bachelor of Sciences (240 ECTS for European students)
Academic transcripts of previous degrees(including class ranking and total number of students in the cohort)
Academic transcripts of current studies(if transcripts are not available: extracts of previous academic work by the applicant)
Description of the study program followed
English language certificate(TOEFL, IELTS, ECRL, TOEiC). For native English speakers, here please upload again your identity document
All documents should be translated in English (or French) by a certified translator.
IMPORTANT: Separately, one or two letter(s) of recommendation must be sent to the following address: charlotte.riviere@univ-lyon1.fr and caroline.moyret-lalle@univ-lyon1.fr.
This letter(s) has to be written by former or current professors, lecturers, tutors or supervisors. This/these letter(s) must be submitted by the referee(s), and not directly by the applicant.
The jury will meet the week of February 23rd, 2026 and notifications will be issued on the week of March 3rd, 2026.
Administrative prodecure
In parallel with the above procedure, students should act according to their situation and apply to the training programme on the dedicated national platforms.
These two procedures are independent of each other but compulsory.
Information can be found on the Graduate + website: