Excellence Scholarships
NEURO Graduate Programme
Call for applications from November 14 to January 23
Neurosciences Graduate School “from Neurons to Brains”
Call for students who wish to enroll in the Neurosciences Master
Academic year 2026-27
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 Neurosciences Graduate Program.
About the Neurosciences Graduate Program
The Neurosciences Graduate Program aims at training students in the field of Neuroscience. The excellence scholarships are intended for foreign students wishing to enroll in the Master of Neurosciences.
The Master of Neurosciences proposes a highly interdisciplinary program that covers topics ranging from basic research in human and animal models to applied and translational Neurosciences (including Cognitive Neurosciences, Cellular Neurobiology, Clinical Neurosciences, Computational Neurosciences) and includes extensive practical activities in laboratories.
The first year (M1) is common for all students, and three paths are proposed during the second year (M2):
the M2 Fundamental and Clinical Neurosciences path (FCN) provides a research-oriented training with emphasis on advanced methods in Neurosciences
the M2 Sensory Neurosciences and Analysis path (SNA) applies the Neurosciences knowledge and tools to the field of sensory analysis and its numerous industrial applications.
the M2 Computational Neurosciences path (CNS) focuses on state-ot-the-art approaches to model cognitive processes and neural mechanisms.
Teaching is provided in English.
The Neurosciences training program 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+ proposes 15 transdisciplinary thematic programs of excellence from undergraduate to doctoral level, intensive immersion into 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.
Eligibility criteria for the M1 scholarships
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 before 20 July 2026 in the field of Neurosciences or Cognitive Sciences or any field related to the Neurosciences Graduate School. This should include a minimum of 12 ECTS in Neurosciences or Cognitive Sciences, 12 ECTS in Physiology, Biology or related disciplines (Maths, Physics or Informatics applied to Biology), and 9 ECTS in English (or validation of a minimum English B2 level).
Eligibility criteria for the M2 scholarships
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 1st year of Master degree before 01 September 2026, with a minimum of 9 ECTS in English (or validation of a minimum English B2 level).
Additional criteria specific to each M2 path
M2 FCN: 1st year of Master degree in the field of Neurosciences or Cognitive Sciences or any field related to the Neurosciences Graduate School. This should include a minimum of 6 ECTS in Neurosciences or related disciplines.
M2 SNA: 1st year of Master degree in the field of Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Engineering, or any field related to Sensory Analysis. This should include a minimum of 6 ECTS in Neurosciences or related disciplines.
M2 CNS: 1st year of Master degree in fields related to Computational Neurosciences (Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering…) with a minimum of 3 ECTS in Mathematics/Computer Science/Statistics and of 3 ECTS in Neuroscience or related disciplines
Students who benefited of the M1 Neurosciences excellence fellowship in the academic year 2025-2026 are eligible for a M2 excellence fellowship, providing they still respond to excellence criteria. Renewal is not automatic.
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: November 14th, 2025
Deadline for applications: January 23th, 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 “NEUROSCIENCES””
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 (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
Optional
Any other document requested in the call. Here you can upload abstracts of any relevant previous work: e.g. dissertation, books, internship reports, scientific articles…
All documents should be translated in English (or French) by a certified translator.
IMPORTANT: Separately, two letters of recommendation must be sent to the head of the relevant Master path:
M1 – Dr Corine Amat: corine.amat@univ-lyon1.fr
M2 FCN – Dr Marion Richard: marion.richard@univ-lyon1.fr
M2 SNA – Dr Irene Cristofori: irene.cristofori@univ-lyon1.fr
M2 CNS – Dr Matteo di Volo: matteo.di-volo@univ-lyon1.fr
These letters have to be written by former or current professors, lecturers, tutors or supervisors. The letters must be submitted by the referees, and not directly by the applicant.
Applicants are allowed to apply to more than one path. In this case, separate applications should be submitted, and reference letters must be sent to the heads of each relevant path.
The jury will meet in February 2026 and notifications will be issued during the first week of March 2026.
Administrative procedure
In parallel with the above procedure for excellence fellowship, students should act according to their situation and apply to the training program on the dedicated national platforms (see https://masterneuro.univ-lyon1.fr/admission/)
These two procedures are independent of each other but compulsory.
Further information can be found on the Graduate + website: