Lake Zurich at golden hour with the Swiss Alps in the background and trees on the shoreline.

France Annual internal call — laboratories nominate candidates in spring for contracts starting in October

École Polytechnique AMX Doctoral Contract

The AMX doctoral contracts are École Polytechnique's own funded PhD positions, awarded each year on the recommendation of its laboratories and covering three years of salaried research. Like all French doctoral contracts, the award is an employment contract — roughly €2,200 a month gross with full social security cover, pension accrual and paid leave — rather than a tuition scholarship, and annual registration costs only the national doctoral fee of about €400. École Polytechnique is France's most selective engineering grande école, and since 2019 it has anchored Institut Polytechnique de Paris alongside ENSTA, ENSAE, Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis. Its laboratories cover applied mathematics, physics, computer science, mechanics, chemistry, biology and economics, several jointly operated with the CNRS and CEA. For Sri Lankan engineering and science graduates, this is a fully-funded doctoral route at one of continental Europe's strongest technical institutions.

École Polytechnique (Institut Polytechnique de Paris)

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

payments

Monthly Salary

~€2,200 gross (~LKR 759,000)

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Duration

3 Years (Employment Contract)

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Fields

Maths, Physics, CS, Engineering, Economics

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Excellent Master's Record

A research Master's (M2 or equivalent) in a relevant discipline with distinction-level results. Cohort ranking, thesis quality and any publications carry the most weight in a competition of this size.

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Laboratory Sponsorship Required

AMX contracts are allocated through the laboratories, so you must have a prospective supervisor who will put your name forward. Approach supervisors from late in the calendar year for the following autumn's competition.

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No Nationality Restriction

Open to candidates of all nationalities with no prior France or EU residence requirement. Sri Lankan candidates compete on the same terms and receive the VLS-TS long-stay visa once the contract is signed.

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English-Language Research

Research, supervision and the thesis defence can be conducted entirely in English across most laboratories. French is not required for admission; free language courses are available on campus at Palaiseau.

account_tree Application Process

Identify a laboratory and supervisor

Browse the research units at École Polytechnique and Institut Polytechnique de Paris, and contact potential supervisors with your CV, transcripts and Master's thesis. Doctoral funding here begins with the supervisor relationship, not the portal.

Prepare the thesis proposal

Work with the supervisor on the thesis subject that will be submitted to the doctoral school. Proposals nominated by a laboratory with a clear scientific case and a funding-worthy candidate are what the AMX committee ranks.

Submit through the doctoral school (EDIP)

Full academic transcripts with rank in cohort
Master's thesis or equivalent research output
Two or three academic reference letters
CV and motivation letter referencing the specific project

Selection interview

Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the doctoral school committee, held online for international applicants. Rankings are published in late spring and contracts issued for an October start.

Visa and settlement

Apply for the VLS-TS long-stay visa through Campus France Sri Lanka once you hold the signed contract. On-campus accommodation at Palaiseau is available to doctoral students, and the CAF housing allowance reduces rent further.

Why École Polytechnique?

Founded in 1794, l'X is the most selective engineering school in France and forms the core of Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which sits inside the global top 40 of the QS rankings and top 10 worldwide for engineering employer reputation. Its Palaiseau campus is part of the Paris-Saclay research cluster, giving doctoral students access to CNRS, CEA and Inria facilities.