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Macron asks to transform the way research is organized in France

Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a ‘presidential council’ to advise him on the progress of science, and has given research organizations and universities 18 months to ‘restore clarity’ in the war France’s scientific community is organized.

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https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2023/12/08/macron-asks-to-transform-the-way-research-is-organized-in-france_6324507_5.html

In front of a gathering of over 300 French researchers and scientific leaders at the Elysée Palace on Thursday, December 7, President Emmanuel Marcon presented his “vision for the future of French research,” including the creation of a “Presidential Council for Science” and several other measures. Research and innovation have been at the heart of the president’s agenda for the week: The day before, he had spoken to a dozen start-ups about future small satellite launchers and small nuclear reactors, and on Monday, he will visit Toulouse to meet recipients of funding from the France 2030 investment plan.

He reminded the audience on Thursday that science and research, which allow to “build growth,” are “an essential issue of sovereignty.” He spoke of the “strange defeat” of France’s failure to produce a vaccine during the Covid-19 crisis, and referred to the “geopolitical competition” surrounding quantum technologies and artificial intelligence.

After observing that it had a successful year for French research, with the Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Pierre Agostini and Anne L’Huillier, Macron shared what he called “quick and lucid assessment.” He highlighted the “deteriorating” link between research and innovation, and the fact that the sector is still suffering the consequences of “chronic under-investment,” which has driven the country from sixth to ninth place worldwide between 2009 and 2021, in scientific production rankings.

Weak private investment

He also highlighted the measures taken since his first term in office, notably the 2020 law planning research spending, which provides for an additional investment of €25 billion over 10 years. He observed that France’s public research effort, as a percentage of GDP, was on a par with the United States and the United Kingdom, but still behind Germany, but did not suggest making additional investments. “The heart of the difference,” said Macron, remains the weakness of private investment in R&D. To finish, he criticized the bureaucracy, “a real waste of research time and public money.”

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2023/12/08/macron-asks-to-transform-the-way-research-is-organized-in-france_6324507_5.html

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