What is an Accreditation to Supervise Research?
The Accreditation to Supervise Research (habilitation à diriger des recherches – HDR) is a French postdoctoral qualification that recognises a researcher’s ability to conduct independent research, lead research projects and supervise PhD students. The HDR allows researchers to apply for a position as a professor at a French university, to supervise a PhD thesis or to serve on a thesis examination panel.
To register for the HDR, candidates must first demonstrate that they meet the required eligibility criteria. They must prepare a research portfolio (mémoire d’HDR) presenting their work and their ability to lead and supervise research activities. The candidate then defends their portfolio before an HDR examination panel.
Who can apply?
To request authorisation to register for the Accreditation to Supervise Research, you must:
- Hold a PhD (diplôme de doctorat)
- Or hold an Advanced National Diploma (Diplôme d'État de docteur) in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine, together with an Advanced Training Diploma (Diplôme d'études approfondies – DEA) or a research-based Master's degree
- Or demonstrate that you hold a qualification, have carried out work or have experience equivalent to a PhD
- Be endorsed by a supervisor who holds the HDR or equivalent, whether currently active or emeritus, and is affiliated with a laboratory at the University of Strasbourg
How to apply and register
Step 1 – Request authorisation to register for the HDR
Step 2 – Complete your administrative registration
Registration – Documents to download
Prepare for your HDR defence
Key steps
Candidate
Before the HDR defense, you must:
- Complete your administrative registration before the defence (no later than 30 April for the current academic year)
- Once the proposed examination panel submitted by your garant (an HDR-qualified academic supporting your application) has been approved, send the Doctoral College and all members of the panel either one or more published or unpublished works or a research portfolio accompanied by a titled summary of your scientific activities
- Inform the Doctoral College of the date, time and location of the defence
HDR garant
- Your garant must submit the proposed examination panel and defence date at least two months before the desired defence date. They must complete the form available for download below, name the three examiners and attach a one-page CV for each examiner
Doctoral College
The University of Strasbourg's Doctoral College sends:
- A letter to the examiners requesting that they submit their reports by email at least 15 days before the defence
- Sends the candidate an email to confirm that the examination panel has been approved
The examination panel
The President of the University of Strasbourg appoints the members of the examination panel (jury). It is made up of at least five members chosen from academics who hold the HDR and are affiliated with public higher education institutions, as well as research directors from French public research organisations (établissements publics à caractère scientifique et technologique – EPST). At least half of the panel members must be external to the University of Strasbourg, whether from France or abroad, and recognised for their scientific expertise.
At least half of the examination panel must be professors or equivalent. Three panel members who hold the HDR are appointed as rapporteurs. Rapporteurs must have no professional or personal relationship with the candidate and must not have co-authored publications with them. At least two rapporteurs must be external to the University of Strasbourg. Panel members must not have a personal relationship with the candidate's garant.