How much funding do you get through the Charpak Internship Programme?

Realistic 2025-2026 figures put the monthly grant in the region of EUR 700 to 900, depending on the host organisation and cycle. This is separate from any gratification (mandatory stipend) your host company may owe under French labour law. Always confirm the exact current-cycle amount directly with Campus France India before budgeting your trip.

Am I eligible for the Charpak Internship Programme?

You generally need to be an Indian national enrolled at a recognised Indian university, in your final year of a Bachelor's degree or above, a Master's programme, or a PhD, with a confirmed internship host in France already secured before you apply. Unlike some Germany-specific schemes, eligibility is not restricted to a small partner-university list, and fields beyond STEM, including business, design and social sciences, are considered.

How is the Charpak Internship Programme different from the Charpak Scholarship for Master's study?

The Charpak Scholarship is a separate, longer-term award that funds a full Master's degree in France for one to two years, typically including a tuition fee waiver, a monthly living stipend, and a visa fee waiver. The Charpak Internship Programme instead funds a shorter placement, generally two to six months, at a host organisation while you remain enrolled in your Indian degree, and it does not cover tuition since you are not studying for a French qualification.

Do I need a Schengen visa for a Charpak internship in France?

Yes. Internships of 90 days or under generally use a short-stay Schengen Type C visa, while placements longer than 90 days require the VLS-TS long-stay visa, which doubles as a residence permit once validated after arrival. Both routes require a signed internship agreement (convention de stage) and, for degree-linked placements, registration on Campus France India before the visa appointment.

How do I find a host company or lab in France for the Charpak Internship Programme?

You must secure your own host before applying, since the programme does not place students automatically. Use your university's placement office, LinkedIn searches by sector and city, direct outreach to companies or research groups whose work matches your field, and Campus France India's partner network listings. Aim to have a signed or written offer of intent at least six to eight weeks before the funding application deadline.

Charpak Internship Programme 2026: Funding, Eligibility and How Indian Students Apply for an Internship in France

Q: What is the Charpak Internship Programme?

The Charpak Internship Programme is an internship funding scheme run by the Institut francais en Inde (the French Embassy's cultural and education wing) through Campus France India. It gives Indian students a monthly grant to complete an internship at a company, university department, laboratory, or public institution in France, across a wide range of fields rather than science alone.

Indian student researching the Charpak Internship Programme for an internship in France

The Charpak Internship Programme is a funding scheme run by the Institut francais en Inde, the French Embassy's cultural and education wing, delivered through Campus France India. It gives Indian students a monthly grant, realistically in the region of EUR 700 to 900, to complete an internship at a company, university department, laboratory, or public institution in France. Eligibility covers Bachelor's students in their final year and above, Master's students, and PhD candidates across a broad range of fields, not just science and engineering. You need a confirmed host organisation in France before you apply, and the application itself runs through Campus France India rather than the host institution directly.

Mid-2026 is exactly when this route becomes worth a serious look. DAAD WISE is oversubscribed every cycle, and Indian students who missed that window, or whose university is not a DAAD partner institution, are actively researching alternatives for the next intake. France's Charpak track is a genuine, still under-covered option: broader field eligibility, no restriction to a partner-university list, and a Campus France process that is well documented once you know where to look.

Charpak Internship Programme vs DAAD WISE vs Mitacs Globalink

These three are the most commonly compared funded internship routes for Indian students. None of them place you automatically. All three require you to secure a host before or during the application, and all three are genuinely competitive rather than a rubber stamp.

Programme	Host country	Duration	Funding	Field of study
Charpak Internship Programme	France	2-6 months	~EUR 700-900/month	Broad: STEM, business, design, social sciences
DAAD WISE	Germany	1-6 months	~EUR 650-750/month	STEM only, DAAD partner universities
Mitacs Globalink	Canada	12 weeks (flat)	CAD 4,500 lump sum	Broad: STEM, business, environmental, social sciences

Confirm exact amounts for the current cycle via Campus France India before you commit to a budget. Government-linked grant amounts are reviewed each academic year and the figures above are realistic planning ranges, not a guaranteed number for your specific cycle.

Charpak Internship Programme vs Charpak Lab: which track fits you

If you have already come across our guide to DAAD WISE and the Charpak Lab Scholarship, it is worth being precise about the difference. Charpak Lab is a narrower, science-specific track: it funds research placements strictly at French universities, CNRS laboratories, INSERM, INRAE, or similar recognised research organisations, with fields limited to life sciences, chemistry, materials science, physics, earth sciences, computer science, and mathematics.

The Charpak Internship Programme covers more ground. Your host can be a private company, a university administrative or industry-facing department, a public institution, or a research lab. Fields extend to business, management, design, communications, and social sciences alongside STEM. If your host is a commercial company rather than a research lab, the Charpak Internship Programme is the track to look at, not Charpak Lab.

Step-by-step application process

Secure a host organisation first. Neither Campus France nor the French Embassy matches you with a company or lab. Use your university's placement office, LinkedIn searches filtered by sector and French city, direct cold outreach to companies whose work matches your field, and Campus France India's own partner and alumni network listings. Budget six to eight weeks for this step alone, since French companies often respond slower than Indian ones to unsolicited internship enquiries.
Get the French Embassy or Institut francais endorsement. Once you have a written offer or letter of intent from your host, register your Charpak Internship Programme application through the Campus France India portal (campusfrance.org/en/india). This is where academic transcripts, your internship offer, a motivation statement, and recommendation letters are uploaded and reviewed.
Handle the visa and Schengen implications early. Internships of 90 days or fewer typically run on a short-stay Schengen Type C visa. Anything longer requires the VLS-TS long-stay visa, which functions as your residence permit once validated online after you land in France. Book your VFS Global France appointment only once your signed convention de stage (internship agreement) is in hand, since consulates reject incomplete conventions outright.
Assemble your document set. At minimum you will need: a signed convention de stage from your host, Campus France registration confirmation, proof of accommodation in France, proof of financial resources for the stay, valid health insurance covering the Schengen area, academic transcripts, and two passport photographs meeting French visa specifications. Our general France internship guide covering visa, cost of living, and the mandatory gratification stipend walks through each of these documents in more depth if you have not been through the French visa process before.

Timeline: why acting in July matters

France's academic and internship cycles run on the September-to-June university year, with a secondary intake around January to March for placements tied to spring semester exchange. Charpak Internship Programme applications typically open in the September to November window for placements beginning in the following calendar year, though exact dates shift slightly each cycle and should be checked directly against the Institut francais en Inde announcement.

Acting now, in July, gives you a realistic runway: two to three months to identify and secure a host before the application window opens, which is exactly the lead time French companies and labs need to respond to enquiries, confirm an internship slot, and sign a convention de stage. Students who wait until the application portal is already open are frequently unable to find a host in time and lose the cycle entirely, not because their academic profile was weak but because they started the host search too late.

Common eligibility mistakes and rejection reasons

Applying without a confirmed host. The single most common rejection reason. A vague statement of interest in "finding something in France" is not sufficient; you need a named organisation and a specific internship description.
Assuming your field is excluded. Students in business, design, or social sciences sometimes skip the Charpak Internship Programme because they associate "Charpak" only with science, given how the Charpak Lab track is positioned. The general internship track has meaningfully broader field eligibility.
Missing the academic year requirement. Final-year Bachelor's students below the required year threshold, or students who have already graduated with a gap of more than a defined period, are frequently ineligible. Confirm your exact standing against the current cycle's rules before investing time in host outreach.
Underestimating visa lead time. Even with funding approved and a host confirmed, VFS Global processing can take three to eight weeks depending on season. Applying for the visa in the same month you intend to start is a frequent, avoidable failure point.
Incomplete convention de stage. French consulates will refuse a visa application outright if the tripartite internship agreement is not signed by the host company, your university, and you. Chase this signature early rather than assuming it is a formality.

Once you have a host and a funding route lined up, how you present your academic background to that host matters almost as much as the funding itself. The Internship Abroad platform structures your profile so a French recruiter or lab lead sees your field focus, language level, and availability immediately rather than buried in a generic CV; see how an Indian engineering student presents their profile for a concrete sense of what a strong application looks like before you start your own outreach.

Ready to build your France application?

Secure your host organisation first, register on Campus France India as soon as you have a written offer, and give the visa process at least eight weeks of runway before your intended start date. Start your free profile on Internship Abroad to get matched with internship opportunities in France and elsewhere in Europe, and to get support through the Campus France and visa steps from our placement team.