Several key measures to improve the situation of doctoral students and young scientists of the institute

The situation of doctoral students and, more generally, young scientists on campus is a top priority for the management. On the one hand, because they are more severely affected than other categories of Pasteurian staff by the cost of living, particularly in a large city like Paris and in the Ile-de-France region, due to the socio-economic reality of the research sector. But also because they represent an essential link in the scientific excellence that characterizes Pasteurian research: without them, our laboratories, and consequently our campus, would not be able to move forward.

As part of the Pasteur 2030 strategic plan, the General Management, along with the Education Department, has implemented a number of initiatives this year to support students and young scientists on campus in the face of these challenges:
•    Conducting a survey of doctoral students about their daily lives in March 2025; 
•    Expanded housing options for young researchers: 35 additional housing units since the beginning of 2025;
•    Doubling of bridging grants to meet 100% of demand;
•    Continued reimbursement of university fees for doctoral students already enrolled.

► Survey of Doctoral Students on Living and Working Conditions

At the initiative of the General Management and in response to a request from doctoral students, a large-scale survey was conducted by the Tutoring Office (DE) in collaboration with doctoral student representatives in March 2025 among all doctoral students on the Paris Roux, Paris Hering Institute, and Lyon campuses (362 people in total) regarding their living and working conditions. The questions covered a very broad range: living conditions, housing, transportation, healthcare expenses, leisure and social activities, food, travel, etc. Half of the doctoral students surveyed (181) responded to the survey.

Significant stress primarily due to financial difficulties

The survey's findings are clear. 80% of doctoral students at the Institut Pasteur express deep concern about their financial situation and this reason is the first one given to explain the stress they feel on a daily basis, whether moderate (for 65% of them) or severe (for 25% of them).

Food and housing are particularly expensive and difficult to access

A majority of doctoral students (78%) receive transportation assistance from their employer.

A majority of doctoral students do not experience financial difficulties accessing healthcare, despite the persistent lack of mutual insurance coverage for self-employed doctoral students at the Institut Pasteur (OREX).

The majority of doctoral students are satisfied with their housing, although they acknowledge that it is difficult to access affordable housing: for 90% of doctoral students, the amount spent on housing exceeds 30% of their budget.

A very clear majority of doctoral students report that inflation has significantly increased their food budget, which represents on average more than 30% of their budget.

Solutions identified and suggested by doctoral students themselves

Doctoral students suggest several concrete solutions to improve their daily living and working conditions:
•    Housing subsidized by the Institut Pasteur, for 34% of them;
•    Redistribution of surplus food, particularly from conferences, for 31% of them;
•    The opportunity to dine at the Institut Pasteur, for 26% of them.

You will find more information on the situation of the structure set up by the Institut Pasteur within the Education Department for the service of doctoral students at the Institute here. 

► Significantly Expanded Housing Offerings for Doctoral Students

Aware of the significant difficulties encountered by students and young researchers (particularly doctoral students and postdoctoral students) in finding affordable housing in Paris and the surrounding region, the Institut Pasteur management has expanded its housing offerings reserved primarily for doctoral students by 35 units since the beginning of the year, bringing the Pasteur housing offer for doctoral students to over 95 units in 2025. This progress is the result of collaborative and cross-functional work between several departments (DE, DF, DRH, DRSE-RT, DJ, and DGA).

These 35 units are divided into:
•    5 additional units offered as part of the partnership with the International Campus for Students and Researchers (CIUP) – which already made 60 units available to Institut Pasteur students; 
•    30 accommodations offered as part of a new partnership with the Association for Housing for Families and Individuals (ALFI): for the latter, the basic rent is an average cost of €500/month, or €300/month after deduction of housing assistance for students (APL).

A new partnership was recently signed with Nexity-Studea to further expand this housing offering for campus researchers (priority doctoral students and postdocs) in Paris and the Île-de-France region.

The management team is currently exploring other strategies to further expand this offering in order to meet the housing demands of other categories of scientists and thus contribute to the attractiveness of the Institut Pasteur.

You can find more information on the solutions that the Institut Pasteur management team makes available to doctoral students and young scientists here.

► Doubling of Bridging Grants to Meet 100% of Applications

Bridging grants are financial aid designed to enable doctoral students to complete their thesis and prepare for their graduation and the start of their research careers with greater peace of mind. All doctoral students at the Institut Pasteur are eligible, regardless of their status (OREX or not).

This year, the Institut Pasteur has decided to double the duration of bridging grants awarded to young scientists on campus (from 55 months in 2024 to 110 months in 2025) for a total investment of €500,000.

For more information, please contact poledoct@pasteur.fr.  

►University Fee Reimbursement Continued for Already Enrolled Doctoral Students

URSSAF (French administration) has asked the Institut Pasteur to stop reimbursing university registration fees for its students. However, the Institut Pasteur management has decided to continue, starting in September 2025, reimbursing these fees to Institut Pasteur doctoral students already working on their thesis and present on campus, regardless of their academic year, until they leave the institution. The management believes that this measure must be preserved in order to respect the commitments made to doctoral students present on campus and, more generally, to continue, as far as possible, to alleviate the particularly high cost of living for them.

For more information, please contact poledoct@pasteur.fr