How to choose your partner university?
The way French, British, and Irish universities operate is very different. For example, while Paris-Sorbonne has no problem working with a university across the Channel as part of a doctorate, not all Anglo-Saxon universities accept co-supervision and co-degree agreements. This is the case, for example, at University College London in England and Trinity College in Ireland. Therefore, before contacting a potential research supervisor, it is necessary to contact the Graduate School of the university you are interested in to ensure that the institution agrees to establish a co-supervision agreement.
While there are few LLSHS research universities in the Republic of Ireland (around 7, although this number may vary depending on the specialty studied), this is not the case for British universities. To make an initial selection, it is important to focus only on research universities, as some Anglo-Saxon institutions are solely dedicated to teaching. Next, you should find out, via the university websites, about the research areas promoted by each Graduate School to ensure that the proposed thesis topic has a full place there. Finally, it is possible to request information on past or current agreements from the Paris-Sorbonne co-supervision secretariat.
It may be tempting to only contact universities with high media exposure (Oxford and Cambridge in England, Trinity College in Ireland), but less high-profile universities are often more willing to accept joint supervisions. This does not mean that they are less good, far from it. We can notably mention the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and University College Dublin in Ireland, which are excellent research institutions, but whose names are less well-known to the general public.
How to find a research director at the partner university?
At Paris-Sorbonne, doctoral students have the freedom to choose their research supervisor. The situation may be different at Anglo-Saxon and Irish universities.
Some graduate schools may provide you with a list of faculty members in their department who are working in the same field as you, such as the Graduate School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin. Once provided, it is your responsibility to research each faculty member’s research and contact the one you feel is best suited to direct your research to see if they might be interested.
It is possible that after contacting a Graduate School, they will ask a professor to contact you to direct your research, as is the case at the University of Edinburgh.
Finally, some universities, after officially accepting you, choose your research supervisor for you based on the thesis topic and project submitted during the admissions process. This is particularly the case at Oxford. However, the choice of university and admissions committee can be influenced if, before submitting a project, you contact a professor in the department to help you develop it.
How to finance registration fees?
Establishing a joint supervision agreement between Paris-Sorbonne and a British or Irish university is only possible if the doctoral student agrees to pay the partner institution for the time they spend there. Registration fees vary from one university to another, as well as from one program to another. They are approximately €3,000 to €4,000 in the Republic of Ireland, and £4,000 to £9,000 in the United Kingdom.
To help pay such a sum, several means of financing are possible:
Specific scholarships for co-supervised doctoral students exist and are offered by Embassies. They are listed on the Campus France website.
The Île-de-France region offers International Mobility Assistance grants, primarily for unfunded doctoral students.
Each country (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Republic of Ireland) offers research grants, and jointly supervised doctoral students may be eligible.
Each institution offers specific scholarships to which joint doctoral students can apply.