International cotutelle framework agreement

The Framework Agreement for International cotutelle is an agreement between two higher education establishments (one French and one foreign), accredited to award the doctoral degree, which makes it possible to develop or strengthen international cooperation in doctoral studies. It governs the general administrative and pedagogical modalities for doctoral studies under international cotutelle arrangements between two foreign partner institutions.

The framework agreement for international cotutelle of doctorates is accompanied, for each doctoral student, by an application agreement, which is the individual cotutelle agreement. It includes the general text of the agreement and an appendix that represents a model of the abbreviated individual cotutelle agreement to specify the information related to the doctoral student's research work.

The regulations in force

The objectives

  1. Strengthen pre-existing cooperation or develop new partnerships
  2. Encourage or facilitate the setting up of new individual cotutelle agreements
  3. Develop incoming and outgoing international mobility with the partner institution
  4. Promote the courses offered by Université Paris-Saclay and those of the partner institution
  5. Exchange best practices between Université Paris-Saclay and partner institutions and create institutional cooperation and exchange networks with these institutions
  • All new international partnership projects must be led by a thesis supervisor, a director of a research unit, a representative of the Université Paris-Saclay establishment or of the partner establishment, as well as by the administrative teams attached to the partner establishments.

Setting up the international cotutelle framework agreement

The promoter of this project must submit a request to set up or renew the project online, giving details of the partnership with the partner establishment, the administrative, pedagogical and financial arrangements, if any, and the key contacts.

Online request interface 

Before submitting your application, you can check the list of the active cotutelle framework agreements signed with our various partners via our interactive map (coming soon).

Once the application has been submitted on the platform set up for this purpose, the International PhD Axis of Maison du doctorat assesses the relevance of setting up or renewing the agreement, based on pre-existing cooperation or on the need to develop partnerships with the partner institution, as well as on feedback from the research teams and the International and European Relations Department.

If the conditions are met, the international PhD Axis of Maison du doctorat will prepare the framework agreement for international cotutelle, taking into account the information provided by the project leader.

The international PhD Axis of Maison du doctorat sends to the person in charge of cooperation agreements at the partner institution a model agreement to begin negotiations.

During the negotiation period, the partner institutions must agree on the text. All parties concerned must approve the content and implementation of the agreement.

The framework agreement for international doctoral cotutelle will then be validated by both institutions, in accordance with the internal regulations of each establishment.

The agreement can be signed either:

1- via the digital signature system:

This method enables certified electronic signatures to be issued for all parties involved (Université Paris-Saclay and partner establishment).

2- follow a classic physical procedure:

Stakeholders affix their original signature to the paper document.

  • Each institution must retain at least one electronic or original copy of the signed agreement.

The contacts

Maison du Doctorat