The French Ministry of Higher education and Research also awards scholarships to some foreign students, based on social criteria. To be eligible, students must have been residing in France for at least two years and be paying taxes in France. The Ministry also finances doctoral contracts managed by the Doctoral schools.
In France, public research is split between institutes of higher education and public organisations such as the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) which covers all fields of research, the IRD (Institute for Research and Development), the ADEME (Environmental and Energy Control Agency) and the IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea). In partnership with the regions, these public bodies finance research allocations for doctoral and post-doctoral students.
French regions and towns allocate scholarships to foreign students enrolled in programmes in their region. They also award doctoral and postdoctoral grants managed by the institutes of higher education and research. Regional scholarships may also be allocated to foreign students as part of exchange agreements with foreign institutes.