Excellence Scholarships for Research in Cybersecurity
A programme of excellence research scholarships is available for students to undertake internships at partner laboratories of CyberSchool, working on projects related to the field of cybersecurity.
Objectives of the Programme
Through this programme, CyberSchool aims to attract new talent, foster the development of a scientific workforce capable of solving complex issues, and encourage the sharing of knowledge and experiences.
More specifically, the objectives of this programme are to encourage students to:
- Contribute their expertise to research projects associated with CyberSchool.
- Establish connections by taking advantage of exceptional research and networking opportunities in laboratories linked to CyberSchool.
- Increase future collaboration possibilities with these cybersecurity research laboratories.
Support is provided for internships lasting 3 to 6 months at a laboratory associated with CyberSchool.
The financial support available per application is €300 net per month.
Candidates from all disciplines whose research projects are related to cybersecurity and conducted in a partner laboratory of CyberSchool are invited to submit their applications through the internship supervisor.
The scholarship will be disbursed in two instalments: 50% upon signing the internship agreement and 50% upon completion of the internship.
Calls for Applications
The call for applications is open in two phases:
- From 15th October to 30th November (main phase) and from 10th January to 28th February (complementary phase).
- Applications must be submitted at least 2 months prior to the requested start date of the internship. Applications will be reviewed and approved based on available funding.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must meet all of the following conditions to be eligible for the programme:
- Be currently enrolled full-time in a Master’s level programme (Master 1 or Master 2) related to cybersecurity (not exclusively those supported by CyberSchool).
- Be invited by a partner laboratory of CyberSchool.
- Obtain an internship lasting 3 to 6 months, with objectives aligned with a research area related to cybersecurity.
Submitting an Application
The following documents must accompany each application submitted for it to be considered:
- A duly completed scholarship application form.
- A short CV of the candidate (max. 2 pages).
- A copy of the candidate’s university transcripts.
- A letter of recommendation from the current programme supervisor.
- The internship agreement specifying the subject of the internship and a brief description.
The candidate must send their application and all required documents by email in a single submission to cyberschool@univ-rennes.fr.
Evaluation of Applications
Applications are evaluated and judged on merit by the evaluation committee of CyberSchool, according to the following evaluation criteria and weighting:
- Excellence of academic record – 5 points
- The average for undergraduate studies (L3 level).
- The average for the Master 1.
- The average for the current year if Master 2.
- The candidate’s experience and achievements.
- Overall quality of the proposed internship – 3 points
- Justification for the choice of research supervisor and/or partner laboratory.
- Clarity of the scientific objectives stated in the internship project.
- Relevance of the project to the cybersecurity research programme led by CyberSchool.
- Added value of the proposed internship – 2 points
- The added value of the proposed internship in relation to the candidate’s current higher studies (link and expected benefits).
- The letter of recommendation from the candidate’s current programme supervisor.
Announcement of Results
Each candidate will receive an email informing them of the decision of the evaluation committee within a maximum of 3 weeks from the closing of the application phase.
The candidate must accept or decline the offered financial support within 10 working days of receiving the grant notification by replying to: cyberschool@univ-rennes.fr.
Failure to receive this acceptance within the stipulated timeframe will result in the financial support being considered declined.
The decisions of CyberSchool are final and non-appealable.
Disbursement of Financial Support Granted
- Upon receipt of the signed internship agreement, 50% of the funds will be transferred to the candidate by bank transfer.
- At the end of the internship, the scholarship holder will be invited to present the results of their experience at their host internship environment. They will also be required to produce a short report on their training experience (max. 2 pages) describing the training received and their contribution to the research.
- Upon receipt of the report and after the internship has concluded, the remaining 50% will be disbursed to the candidate.
Restrictions
A single student may not apply for more than one internship per academic year.