The MEL Marine and Environmental International Joint Training Program for Innovative Talents was launched in 2020, and was renewed in 2025. The program supports XMU Master's students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members to visit or study at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche of Sorbonne University – CNRS and Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council of Italy for joint training in marine and environmental sciences.
Supported fields
·It supports research in the fields of marine environmental sciences and other interdisciplinary research that fits into MEL and host institutions' major research scopes, including but not limited to physical oceanography, marine chemistry, marine biology, marine geology, marine physics, marine biotechnology, environmental science, ecology, environmental engineering, and environmental management.
Number of places at XMU
1.The number of Master's students places is 1 per year;
2. The number of PhD places is 6 per year;
3. The number of postdoctoral places is 1 per year;
4. The number of faculty places is 1 per year
Program implementation period
Master's students shall receive research supervision from both the home and host universities, and spend between 3-12 months at the host institution.
PhD students shall receive research supervision from both the home and host universities, and spend between 6-24 months at the host institution.
The research supervision period for postdoctoral fellows at the host institution shall be between 6-24 months.
Faculty members shall spend between 3-12 months at the host institution.
Financial support
The fellowship typically covers:
A round-trip international travel allowance (one trip per student);
A monthly living stipend for the duration of the stay, which is intended to cover living expenses such as accommodation, food, local transportation, and may also be used by the student for health insurance, books, visa extensions, etc.
