CONSERVATIVES HATE SCIENCE; IT'S LIBERAL 

Employees at France's public research body up in arms over funding strategy

Researchers and students from France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) organised protests on Monday, calling for its president to step down. They are concerned that huge budget cuts and a new funding strategy will penalise some sectors more than others.


Issued on: 27/01/2025 - 

A researcher examines plants in an environmental chamber at the Ecotron, a CNRS facility (National Centre for Scientific Research) where researchers can experiment and measure the sensitivity of ecosystems to climate change. AFP/Thomas Samson

Tensions are rising among the 30,000 staff members at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) following the announcement in mid-December to create "Key Labs".

The Rogue ESR collective behind the Paris-based protest argues that management is planning to prioritise human and financial resources for a select group of leading laboratories, known as "Key Labs," at the expense of others.

The collective is now calling for the resignation of the CNRS president Antoine Petit.

"In fields like particle and nuclear physics, some sites will be well-funded, while others will receive little support," Olivier Coutard, president of the CNRS scientific council, told franceinfo.


This move, Coutard warns, is creating a "highly destabilising" effect on research teams.

The protest comes at a time of heightened tension, after French senators voted two bills in January slashing over a billion euros in funding.

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The so-called "Key Labs" are seen as a way to "mask these budget cuts", according to CNRS astrophysicist Olivier Bernen.

"Instead of openly saying, 'We’re cutting funds,' they’re saying: 'Only the best will get funding,’" Bernen, who is also part of the Rogue ESR collective, explained.

"It’s a clever strategy because it pits people against each other. It avoids the direct issue of creating a funding shortage, because the last thing anyone wants is for students to take to the streets."

Decline in resources

For Marc Odin, a geosciences researcher at the CNRS branch in Toulouse, this decision goes hand in hand with the decline in resources invested by the state in research over the past ten years, which also favours closer ties with the private sector.

He is particularly concerned that research into major issues such as ecology will be abandoned due to lack of investment.

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Petit, however, defends the strategy, insisting he’s not neglecting other laboratories.

"Research is a balance of cooperation and competition. We know that international competition is getting tougher. We need labs that are 'front-runners,' to attract top students and researchers," Petit said.

At this point, the criteria for selecting these "excellence" labs remain unclear.

CNRS management said it is open to discussions but insists it doesn’t need the board’s approval to move forward with the changes.