The organization of research schools in developing countries is traditionally CIMPA’s core activity. It aims to foster research in mathematics in disadvantaged areas where there is a real drive and scope for a research project. Each CIMPA School offers an introduction to recent research in some field of mathematics and is specifically dedicated to the students and research teaching staff from developing countries. The budget allocated by CIMPA to the school is essentially used to cover the participation costs of those participants. The schools should be seen by the organizers as a tool for the development and promotion of research in the area over the long term.
2026 call
The call for projects for 2026 CIMPA schools is open. The project proposals must be submitted online by October 12, 2024. The webform is available here (you need an account to access it). To prepare your application, we advise you have a look at the pdf version to see the requested information and details about the project and budget.
The final selection phase of the projects will be completed by the beginning of February 2025.
During the preparation phase of the application, it is strongly advised to contact one of the scientific officers of your specific geographical area. In addition to ideas and contacts, this person will help you to check that you comply with the criteria below.
Generally, CIMPA financial support constitutes up to 50% of the total budget and can reach a maximum amount of €20,000. At least 1/2 of CIMPA budget is specifically allocated to supporting participants from developing countries outside the host country.
The below eligibility criteria are the necessary criteria for your school to be considered. The evaluation criteria determine its acceptance. The financial support depends on the profile of each school, taking as a basis the economic situation of the host country and adjusting it according to the other evaluation criteria.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The eligibility criteria below are the necessary criteria for the project proposal to be considered (more details will be provided during the online application process and other useful documents are available below).
Coordinators
The CIMPA School project must be set up jointly by two coordinators, a 'local' one and an 'external' one:
· The local coordinator must hold an academic or research position in the country where the school is held and must have established strong contacts with the host institution of the school;
· The external coordinator must hold an academic or research position in an institution located in one of the partner countries of CIMPA as of 1 January 2026 (currently: France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Switzerland). Exceptionally, and in the interest of the CIMPA program, a school may be coordinated by someone not belonging to these countries. If this is considered, please contact director@cimpa.info.
Location
The proposed school must be held in an academic environment (university, conference center or equivalent) located in a developing country according to the IMU classification. It is possible to propose a country outside of this list after agreement of a scientific officer of CIMPA.
Scientific topic
The topic of the CIMPA School must be related to research activities already present locally and must be part of an active research field in mathematics, either pure or applied mathematics or a related field, such as computer science or theoretical physics.
Level
The CIMPA School is intended first and foremost for young mathematicians from the country in which it is held or from neighbouring countries. The level should be suited to the local situation and offer a range of activities from pre-doc to post-doc level. Under no circumstances should the school be a conference or workshop.
Duration of the school and contribution of each team member
A CIMPA School generally lasts two weeks with about ten days of mathematical activities. Any school with less than 9 days of activities will not be accepted. In general, a school day shall not contain more that 6 hours of scientific activities and a break of at least one day should be planned after 5 or 6 days of work. Each speaker or instructor should provide a minimum of 6 hours of scientific activities.
Gender balance
The organizing committee as well as the list of lecturers must comprise at least 30% women and at least 30% men. If this criterion cannot be met in exceptional cases, it is imperative that you justify the reasons in the form.
Budget
The provisional budget of the school (resources and expenses) must be sound and described in detail. The financial commitment of local institutions is essential to the success of the project. The financial support provided by CIMPA does not constitute in general more than 1/2 of the total budget of the school and cannot exceed 20,000 euros. Therefore, the coordinators must seek to secure diversified sources of funding at the local and international level as early as possible (see this document for some ideas).
At least 1/2 of the CIMPA financial support needs to be used for travel and/or living expenses of participants from developing countries outside the host country. If other sources exist for this purpose, it will be possible to allocate this support differently (after discussion with your scientific officer).
The CIMPA financial support shall not be used to cover the travel expenses of lecturers affiliated in developed countries. Thus, the coordinators are strongly advised to ask those lecturers at the beginning of the project if they can cover their travel costs with their own grants, thus supporting CIMPA activities even more. In general, they respond favorably. If it is not the case, the organizers will have to find sources other than CIMPA to support them.
Finally, it is strictly forbidden to ask for registration fees or to give honorariums to lecturers, whatever the source of funding.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The evaluation criteria determine the acceptance of the project and refine the financial support.
School location
The country, the city, and even the host institution serve as the basis to evaluate the geographic relevance of the proposal and the amount of CIMPA financial support. Taking the IMU subdivision as starting point, it is up to €10,000 for a priority 5 country, €12,000 for a priority 4, €14,000 for priority 3 country and €17,000 or more for a category 1 or 2 country, within the limit of €20,000. Priority 6 countries get up to €10,000 which shall be spent on participants based in developing countries of priority 1 to 5. This basis can then be revised upwards or downwards depending on the exact location, the expected number of supported participants and the other evaluation criteria.
Scientific and pedagogical quality
Besides the global coherence of the project and the interest of each activity, the mode of delivery will be taken into account. A scientific program that maximizes the active participation of the audience will be evaluated more highly. We wish to make the most of the presence of the instructors. While introductory and advanced level lectures can of course be offered, it is desirable that they are combined with several sessions of exercises or practical work.
Besides these activities, it will be appreciated if a complementary activity is organized during the school. It can take several forms: a round-table discussion on gender issues in mathematics, on ethical issues of publications, etc. It can also be aimed at other audiences, for example secondary school students or teachers, to introduce them to the world of research.
Do not hesitate to discuss the preparation of your application with your scientific officer in order to get ideas and advice.
Construction of a long-term project
The school is part of a long-term reflection on actions that may take place in the country or region. For example, the school can be combined with “CIMPA courses” or a “school in Partnership” beforehand, or be combined with a local master's degree program.
It may also offer mentoring for the best students after the school.
The involvement of coordinators and their team in addition to the time strictly devoted to the school is an important evaluation factor of the project.
Local engagement
When appropriate, the coordinators will encourage the involvement of instructors from the region.