Individual Monitoring Committee

The Individual Monitoring Committee (CSI) is mandatory for all re-enrolments in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th year. Each year, the CSI must be completed by 30 October of the current year at the latest. It must be declared on the ADUM platform, in the CSI tab. Re-enrolment in D2 and D3 is possible until a date in December communicated each year by the DRED.

The CSI plays a role in:

• supporting the development of the thesis project,
• monitoring, to alert the Doctoral School in the event of any kind of problem (technical or human (illness, discrimination, physical or psychological abuse) or any conflict that could interfere with the smooth running of the PhD programme.

The doctoral student composes their CSI for the entire duration of their thesis, which is then validated by the ED management. To do this, a form entitled ‘CSI composition and declaration of interests’ must be completed and sent to the ED management (a document entitled ‘Guide to assessing conflicts of interest’ can help you complete the CSI composition and declaration of interests form).

Once the CSI meeting has been held, the signed minutes entitled ‘CSI Minutes’ and the ‘CSI Appendix’ form are uploaded to ADUM, and the doctoral school, after verifying the document, authorises or suspends the doctoral student's re-enrolment.

A document entitled ‘Confidentiality Charter’ may be signed between CSI members when the work is of a proven confidential nature.

Enrolment is renewed each academic year by the head of the institution, on the recommendation of the director of the doctoral school, after consultation with the thesis supervisor and the individual monitoring committee (CSI).

This is why it must be held before enrolment in the second year, and then before each re-enrolment until the end of the thesis: it supports the doctoral student from the beginning to the end of the doctoral programme.

To comply with ministerial requirements, the CSI must include at least two permanent members:

1. One specialist member: from the discipline or a field related to the thesis, if possible holding an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, or accreditation to supervise research).
2. A non-specialist member: in the field of the thesis subject, if possible holding an HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches, or accreditation to supervise research).

External requirement: at least one of the two members must be from outside the COMUE Lyon–Saint-Étienne. It is recommended that this be the specialist member.

Mandatory attendance at the CSI: the following persons must attend the meeting, but are not members of the CSI: the thesis supervisor, co-supervisors/co-advisors, for doctoral students funded by a CIFRE, the company representative.

Doctoral student representative: during at least one of the CSI meetings over the three years, the two permanent members are accompanied by: a second- or third-year doctoral student, or a post-doctoral student designated by the doctoral student representatives on the Council.

Link with the defence: CSI members may be examiners during the defence, but may not be rapporteurs and are considered internal members of the jury.

NB: It is not necessary for a member to be a complete specialist in the exact subject of your thesis, as the research explores new areas. A member identified by your laboratory as a specialist may be considered as such. A ‘non-specialist’ member may also contribute relevant expertise. The important thing is to avoid conflicts of interest and to have at least one member from outside Lyon/Saint-Étienne (COMUE/UDL). EX: A professor of public health and epidemiology, even without direct clinical expertise in hepatitis, may be considered a specialist in the field, as they have mastered the methodology and population-based approach.

The CSI comprises the following stages:

1. Presentation by the doctoral student of the work carried out during the past year and planning of future work (articles in progress, published or submitted, communications, training courses attended, skills added to the portfolio);
2. Questions from CSI members;
3. Private meeting between CSI members and the doctoral student, in the absence of the thesis supervisor and co-supervisors (⚠️ in the case of a videoconference, a different link from the one used for the presentation must be sent);
4. Private meeting between CSI members and the thesis supervisor/co-supervisors, in the absence of the doctoral student. (⚠️in the case of a videoconference, a link different from that of the presentation must be sent);
5. Drafting of the report by CSI members and signature, then submission to ADUM by the student.

They guarantee:

• freedom of speech for the doctoral student and supervisors,
• the neutrality of CSI members,
• the confidentiality of the situations discussed, with a secure space for reporting difficulties, conflicts, situations of violence, discrimination or harassment.

Sensitive information is only passed on to the CanBioS' management if necessary.

You are in your first year

You must organise your first CSI:

The CSI issues an opinion on registration for the second year, and re-registration is only possible after validation by the ED management. You must therefore:

• Declare the committee on ADUM (with transmission of the questionnaires on links and interests, document ‘composition of the CSI and declaration of links of interest’);
• ⚠️ Do not confirm any dates before the committee has been approved by CanBioS ;
• Organise the meeting (face-to-face recommended, video possible);
• Then add the signed CSI minutes to ADUM;
• Send the appendix to the CSI (to the ED).

You are in your second year

Same schedule and procedure as for the first year.

• A post-doc or doctoral student is assigned to you by the doctoral student representatives.
• Confidentiality agreements and questionnaires on conflicts of interest must be attached to the report.

 

You are in your third year

• Defence before 31 December: no CSI, but compulsory and free educational registration, with a request for authorisation to defend submitted to the ED.
• Defence after 31 December: you must re-register, pay the fees and organise a CSI before requesting to defend.

You are requesting special registration in your fourth year

Regulatory reminder: ‘The standard duration for preparing a thesis is set at 36 months. An additional year may be granted by the head of the institution on the recommendation of the ED management.’ (Article 13 of the law of 25 May 2016, amended by the decree of 26 August 2022).

Before 30 September of your third year, you must organise your third CSI.

To be eligible for a fourth year, you must have:

a favourable opinion from the CSI;
proof of funding for the fourth year;
a letter of motivation from your thesis supervisor.