Bridge PhD Fellowship
Emergency funding to support PhD students during exceptional circumstances at the end of their thesis.
Supporting the final stage of a PhD
The Bridge PhD Fellowship, supported by SIRD, provides emergency funding for PhD students reaching the end of their thesis.
It is intended for exceptional and urgent situations that have delayed the research or manuscript, such as illness, unexpected problems during the PhD, or revisions of a submitted article that must be completed before the thesis defense.
Fellowship details
Months of support
The fellowship covers a period of 3 to a maximum of 6 months.
Grant per PI
Each PI may receive only one grant during the four-year SIRD period from May 2026 to April 2030.
Grants per year
The number of grants is limited to three per year. Additional funding is not guaranteed.
Who can apply?
Any PI of a SIRD laboratory may submit an application throughout the year on a rolling basis.
What does the funding cover?
Funding is intended exclusively to cover the salary of the PhD student. No other project-related expenses are covered.
Application review
Applications are reviewed and ranked by a working group composed of Frédéric Allain, Valérie Hilgers, Géraldine Liot, Norbert Polacek, and Magdalini Polymenidou.
To avoid conflicts of interest, working group members do not evaluate applications submitted by a PI from the same institute or university. In such cases, a member of the SIRD Steering Committee may conduct the review.
Required application documents
PI application letter
A letter from the SIRD PI explaining the specific emergency, why no other funding is available, the project timeline, and the projected thesis defense date.
Student motivation letter
A letter from the PhD student explaining their motivation for extending the PhD.
Advisory committee letter
A letter from the PhD thesis advisory committee supporting the extension and justifying its duration of 3 to 6 months.
Submit an application
Please compile all application documents into a single PDF file and send it to the SIRD office. Applications are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis.
Email office@sird.info
