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Grants and Emergency Assistances

The AAE provides an economic support to students and alumni with economic difficulties, thanks to donations. There are not classic grants that one can find in other organizations. Two types of support are available: “grants” and “emergency assistance”. Grants are standard subsidies with various criteria given based on the decision of the AAE board of directors. Emergency assistance are exceptional subsidies provided in emergency by the AAE executive board, but its criteria are strongly constrained. Anyone concerned can ask for an economic support to the AAE at any time. We encourage the Alumni Network to spread this information.

To evaluate the applications, the board of directors has a precise workflow that is described below.

Note that this web page cannot be put forward against the resolutions of the AAE.

We do not accept applications until September 2024.

Standard: Grants

Grants are authorized by the Article 13 of the AAE statutes.

Procedure

  • Who: any ESBS students (engineering, master or Chembiotech degrees) or members of the Alumni Network (e.g. alumni or teachers).
  • When: applications can be submitted to the AAE at any time, but grants will be voted during meetings of the AAE board of directors (every 3-4 months).
  • How much: between 200-500€ in total, or less if asked by the applicant. The amount depends on the applicant profile and on the  available budget that comes from the sponsoring and donations to the AAE.
One application may be submitted once a year per person. The entire grant is transferred at once.
  1. Applicants send us information in French or English.
    • They give their reasons and/or social criteria as above if any, the purpose of the request, as well as the amount desired and a brief description of their background. We do not want a motivation letter.
    • They specify when the need is or will be (e.g. the AAE cannot support an internship after the end of this internship).
    • They give one document supporting the criterion with the highest rank.
    • They give an official ID, a student ID if any, and bank details (RIB).
  2. Applicants submit their application to the AAE (contact.esbs.alumni@gmail.com) or to one AAE director.
  3. The AAE executive board checks the applications, interviews the applicants and asks them for more supporting documents if needed.
  4. The AAE board of directors discusses the applications every 3-4 months.
  5. The voted amounts are transferred quickly after the answers.
  6. Beneficiary applicants become or will become active members of the AAE. They give feedbacks to the association.

Social criteria and reasons

To evaluate the applications, the AAE classifies them according to two categories: “social criteria” and “reasons”. Social criteria depend on the social status of the applicant. Reasons are statements of grounds about why an application is submitted. Higher ranks will be given to applications cumulating items in each of these two categories.

Social criteria help us to identify the difficulties of the applicant. The below items are ranked from the most to the lowest priority in the AAE’s point of view:

  • Students financing their studies with a job.
  • Students financing their studies with a loan.
  • Students with CROUS scholarships or ineligible for CROUS scholarships due to nationality.
  • Students from outside the European Union.
  • Applicants without employment and unemployment benefits (allocations chômages).
  • Applicants with the Complémentaire santé solidaire (ex-CMU-C).
  • Applicants receiving assistance from the CAF.

Reasons show us cases which are hardened by applicants’ economic difficulties. The below items are ranked from the most to the lowest priority in the AAE’s point of view:

  • Applicants requiring an Emergency Assistance (see the section below).
  • Applicants having economic difficulties.
  • Applicants going abroad by air travel to do an internship, and/or having an unpaid internship.
  • Applicants undergoing resumption of studies in continuing education (reprise d’études en formation continue).
  • Applicants continuing their studies directly after the ESBS, with priority given to training of at least 2 years. This includes doctoral studies without a contract or with a monthly salary lower than the minimum net wage, depending on the host country.
  • Applicants with a student project.

Exceptional: Emergency assistances

Emergency assistances are authorized by the Article 13 of the AAE statutes and defined by the Article 9 of the AAE internal rules.

Procedure

  • Who: any ESBS students (engineering, master or Chembiotech degrees) or members of the Alumni Network (e.g. alumni or teachers) being in a serious situation requiring an emergency assistance of the alumni community.
  • When: applications can be sent to the AAE at any time.
  • How much: depending on the AAE resources.

Applicants directly contact the AAE (contact.esbs.alumni@gmail.com) or an AAE director. Then, the AAE executive board will interview the applicant and engage its responsibility to answer the request, if possible.

Social criteria and reasons

To submit an application, one or several following compelling social criteria must be met:

  • The economic impossibility for a person to travel to their place of training, education or work, from France, Germany or Switzerland to a country outside Europe, or vice versa, due to a problem objectively beyond their control and threatening their education or professional career.
  • The imminent danger for a person to be homeless, to no longer be able to support himself or herself or to be in a situation of abuse;
  • The birth or death of a child, especially for students;
  • Being an elderly, ill or disabled person with no other immediate support.

Moreover, the social criteria defined in the Grants section can be cumulated to strengthen the application.

Common attribution procedure

To be eligible, an applicant must:

  • compel with the procedure and gives the required supporting documents;
  • have a bank account owned by a French, German or Swiss bank;
  • have an economic need that will materialize after the discussion of the application by the AAE;
  • be a member of the AAE, except for students or persons having strong economic difficulties;
  • have at least one compelling social criterion, in the case of an emergency assistance.

The AAE ignores the following information that could be given by an applicant:

  • Anticipated expense items if the economic support is awarded (i.e. a budget).
  • Academic performance.
  • Recommendations.
  • Resume (i.e. CV).
  • Age, with the exception of seniors in special difficulties.
  • Any other criterion legally considered as discriminatory.

The members of the AAE Board of Directors who have a friendly, family or professional relationship with the applicant, or who studied in the same class, are not allowed to participate at any stage of the entire procedure. They cannot be present during the deliberations of the Board of Directors or during the vote, and cannot give a proxy for the vote. Thus, if conflicts of interest are widely spread in the AAE, the application cannot be discussed and will be rejected.