RESEARCH IN FRANCE >WHAT WILL YOUR PROJECT BE? CONTENTS > RESEARCH IN FRANCE Physics, chemistry, and energy CEA, atomic and alternative energy HOW RESEARCH IS ORGANIZED IN FRANCE 6 commission 30 THE UNIVERSITIES 12 IFPEN, IFP new energy 32 THE MAJOR PUBLIC RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS 16 IRSN, institute on radiation protection and nuclear safety 33 CNRS, national center for scientific research 18 Technology Earth and space sciences IFSTTAR, French institute for the science and technology of transportation, BRGM, bureau of geological and land use, and urban networks 34 mining research 20 INRIA, national institute for research in CNES, national center for space research 21 computer science and automation 35 ONERA, national aerospace Economics, social sciences, and education research office 22 IFÉ, French institute of education Marine sciences 36 INED, national institute of demographic research 37 IFREMER, French research institute for exploitation of the sea 23 RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS 38 Agricultural, ecological, and environmental CEPH, center for research on human polymorphism 40 sciences Curie Institute 41 CIRAD, center for international Pasteur Institute 42 cooperation on agricultural research for development 24 NATIONAL AGENCIES 44 INRA, national agronomic research ADEME, agency for the environment and institute 25 energy management 45 IRD, development research ANDRA, national agency for the management institute 26 of radioactive waste 46 IRSTEA, national institute of scientific INCA, national cancer institute 47 and technical research in environment RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS, FACILITIES, and agriculture 27 AND RESOURCES 48 Life sciences and health sciences Very-large-scale research facilities 50 INERIS, national institute on the industrial Other major research infrastructure 52 environment and risk management 28 INSERM, national institute of health and medical research 29 © kwanchaift - Fotolia.com © kwanchaift RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS OF HISTORIC > LIVING IN FRANCE IMPORTANCE 54 Visas and residency permits 98 Collège de France 56 Support Observatoire de Paris 57 for new arrivals 100 MNHN, national museum Before departure 102 of natural history 58 Daily life as a doctoral candidate 104 EHESS school for advanced study in the social sciences EPHE school for advanced applied studies 60 Associations and networks of doctoral ENS (The Écoles Normales Supérieures) 61 candidates and researchers 105 THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF RESEARCH Housing in France 106 IN FRANCE 62 Health care in France 108 Network of Écoles Françaises abroad 64 Managing your money 110 French research institutes abroad 65 Transportation in France 111 A variety of research structures to promote Culture in France 112 internationalization 66 Useful links 114 SCIENCE ALL AROUND US 68 > WHY NOT DO YOUR RESEARCH IN FRANCE? The Doctorate in France 76 Doctoral schools 78 Doctoral training 80 The various ways of doing a Doctorate 82 Applying to a doctoral program 84 Selecting a dissertation topic and and a doctoral department 85 Financing your doctoral studies 86 The Campus France research portal 88 Research support—the European way 90 Postdoctoral contracts 92 Short-term research opportunities 94 RESEARCH IN FRANCE > FRANCE’S STELLAR France is in world’s top 3 in physics, mathe- matics, biology, and nano- and biotechno- RESEARCH TRADITION logies. France’s space budget is second only to With respect to research, France is incon- that of the United States. testably one of the greats. A research lea- der for centuries, France has never stopped rethinking and redefining its role at the cen- ter of international research. > THE INTERNATIONAL HEART Because its research strategy and policy have OF FRENCH RESEARCH been continuously fine-tuned in response to scientific changes and challenges, France has 17% of researchers in the public sector are never lost its place among the world’s leading internationals; in the corporate world, the research powers, producing basic research of figure is 5%. the highest quality in all domains. 41% of France’s doctoral candidates are As proof, France has maintained its position from outside France. in the face of the rising power of China, Brazil, French research bodies maintain more than India, and other rapidly developing scientific 250 facilities around the world. powerhouses Foreign firms account for 1/5 of R&D French publications are ranked 4th in the investment in France. st world for impact. France holds 1 place, ahead of the UK and France ranks 5th among the OECD coun- Germany, in international research collabo- tries in domestic spending on research and ration, with 51% of publications involving at development, at more than €47 billion, or least one foreign lab. 2.24% of gross domestic product (behind French research teams receive 11% of the Republic of Korea, 4.1%; Japan, 3.5%; United financing provided under the Horizon 2020 States, 2.7%; and Germany, 2.9%; and ahead European framework program, making of United Kingdom, 1.6%). France the 3rd largest recipient. © hywards - Fotolia.com © hywards 4 > TOP RANKINGS > PATENTS AND PUBLICATIONS th France is 4 worldwide in Nobel prizes re- France also performs well in the interna- ceived (61). tional competition for patents, ranking It is 2nd in mathematics with 14 Fields me- 4th in the world in the European patent dals (the United States has 15); the 2017 system (6.4% of applications filed) and Abel prize went to French mathematician 7th in the U.S. patent system (2.1% of patents Yves Meyer. granted). France stands out particularly in France ranks in the world’s top 10 for num- transportation; nanotechnologies and mi- ber of scientific publications. crostructures; fine organic chemistry; en- gines, pumps, and turbines; building and The CNRS (national center for scientific public works; pharmaceuticals; and mate- research) leads the world in scientific pu- rials and metallurgy. blications (Nature Index ranking); 96% of th CNRS research units partner with institu- France currently holds 5 place in the wor- tions of higher education and research. ld for scientific production in the life and health sciences. The publications of the nation’s major research bodies have an im- pact index greater than 1, which means that their influence, as measured by citations, is above the international average. Choose France as the place to do your research. You’ll benefit from the excellence and international recognition of the French research enterprise. 5 HOW RESEARCH IS ORGANIZED French research A NATIONAL IN FRANCE plays a leading role COMMITMENT in the disciplines TO RESEARCH AND of mathematics, INNOVATION astronomy, and The Ministry of Higher Education, Re- education and €7.71 billion for re- astrophysics, but search, and Innovation leads French search efforts, including an agency research policy, overseeing the work (ANR, the national research agency) the areas in which of public research bodies and insti- that awards funding in response to French researchers tutions of higher education and re- calls for proposals search. The ministry: www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr win the highest rates of international sets the national research strategy evaluates results through HCERES, (thematic priorities) around 10 social the council for evaluation of research citation are challenges and higher education. agriculture and allocates resources from the re- France’s research strategy, StraNES: search budget, which, in 2016, www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr › Stratégie plant biology; civil amounted to €13 billion for higher engineering and mining; ecology and marine biology; and food processing. © Cyril FRESILLON/IMP/CNRS Photothèque © Cyril FRESILLON/IMP/CNRS 6 7 Research organizations and universities are key players in France’s public research effort. A large share of public research is done in higher education institutions, particularly the universi- ties, in close cooperation with research organiza- tions. > A FRENCH ORIGINAL: JOINT RESEARCH UNITS (UMR) Research bodies and university laboratories enter into contracts to form joint research units (UMRs), thus putting the universities at the center of publicly funded research efforts. UMRs ensure that the trai- ning of researchers keeps up with scientific advances and create the dynamism required to produce cut- ting-edge research. France’s higher education institutions maintain 3,000 research laboratories (many administered jointly with one or more other institutions). The labs are staffed by research faculty responsible for training future re- search scholars and scientists. The excellence of basic research in France rests on the nexus between teaching and research. With 72 univer- Photothèque © Benoît RAJAU/CNRS sities located all around France, this nexus spreads the development of research throughout the country. > BY THE NUMBERS > TRAINING THROUGH RESEARCH: THE DOCTORAL SCHOOLS (ED) universities plus about 100 other higher education Doctoral training is organized within doctoral 72 institutions (including France’s unique Grandes Écoles) schools (known as Écoles Doctorales, ED) that bring together the research units of one or more 3,000 research units higher education institutions working on a given scientific theme. Each ED is affiliated with a univer- 271 doctoral schools sity or other institution authorized to confer doc- toral degrees. The ED structure guarantees candi- 13,000 doctorates awarded annually dates access to high-level research professors and other scientific personnel while preparing them 25 public research organizations for their