The Hubert Curien Partnership (PHC) programme promotes the exchange of scientific and technical excellence between research teams in France and various partner countries through joint research projects and bilateral research visits.

The ‘Ulysses’ PHC programme supports the reciprocal mobility of collaborators between France and Ireland. In Ireland, Ulysses is funded and administered by the Irish Research Council (IRC), while in France the partnerships are managed by mobility agency Campus France. While the programme covers all research disciplines, selected projects under the 2026 programme will be supported by strategic partners in one or both countries in the areas of renewable energy, smart grids, and environmental, climate and energy transition.

The scheme is open only to researchers resident in the Republic of Ireland or France; there are no nationality or citizenship requirements.

Eligible bilateral project teams involve researchers from each country:

• Eligible Irish partner(s) are postdoctoral researchers and Principal Investigators (PIs) in eligible third-level institutions or publicly-funded research organisations with an employment contract that covers the period of the Ulysses award. The application must be submitted by a person authorised by their institution to hold responsibility for research grants.
• Eligible French partners include academic researchers and staff in an academic institute, research institute or facility, or the R&D unit of a private company associated with an academic partner.
• The participation of early career researchers (doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who obtaining their PhD less than five years ago) is mandatory in both candidate teams.

Collaborations are funded for two years each. The award made by each agency is up to a maximum of €5,000 over this two-year period to cover travel and living expenses (subsistence).

Applications must be submitted in parallel by both French and Irish teams via their respective administrators.