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The Comité National de la Recherche Scientifique (CoNRS), or National Council of Scientific Research, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the quality and integrity of research activities in France. As an advisory and evaluative body within the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), it ensures that recruitment, promotions, and scientific strategies are rigorously assessed for quality and alignment with institutional goals. This blog post aims to provide clarity about the CoNRS by exploring its roles, composition, and influence within the French research ecosystem.

What is CoNRS and Its Role Within CNRS?

The CoNRS acts as the scientific backbone of the CNRS, upholding the rigor and quality of research within the institution. As one of France’s national organizations overseeing scientific research, the CNRS relies on the CoNRS as a specialized committee to evaluate researchers, institutes, and programs. In this role, the CoNRS functions as an essential advisory body, supporting and complementing the CNRS’s administrative and operational tasks. The CoNRS focuses on the following core activities (non-exhaustive list):

  • Evaluating researchers: The CoNRS assesses applications for recruitment, promotions, and project evaluations to ensure that scientific merit and potential are rigorously reviewed. This includes evaluating candidates for positions such as Chargé de Recherche (junior position) and Directeur de Recherche (senior position).
  • Strategic advice: The CoNRS advises the CNRS on scientific policies and priorities. By identifying emerging research trends and aligning them with institutional goals, it ensures that the CNRS remains responsive to both national and international scientific needs.

While CoNRS is in theory independent of CNRS, their members contribute to the definition of the scientific policies of CNRS, the hiring, evaluation and promotion of CNRS researchers, and the various activities of the UMRs under the tutelle of CNRS.

Composition of the CoNRS

Committees and members

The CoNRS includes CNRS researchers, but also assistant professors and professors from the universities and assistant astronomers and astronomers from CNAP.

The CoNRS unites several interrelated committees to ensure that its work is comprehensive and representative of the diverse scientific fields it serves. At its core, the CoNRS operates with its own Conseil Scientifique (Scientific Council), which provides overarching guidance on research policies and evaluations. Each CNRS institute (Institut National, IN), for example INSU, also has its own Conseil Scientifique d’Institut (CSI), or Scientific Council of the Institute, which focuses on the specific priorities and needs of their respective research domains. Additionally, each of the disciplinary sections of the CoNRS is governed by a committee responsible for conducting evaluations and making recommendations within their fields. Together, these interconnected structures create a framework for decision-making, ensuring that the CoNRS can effectively balance disciplinary depth with interdisciplinary collaboration.

The members of each committee can be either elected or appointed. Elected members are chosen by their peers within the CNRS to represent specific scientific fields. Appointed and ex-officio members are specialists from academia, industry, and other organizations who provide external perspectives and expertise. Each committee operates within a defined mandate, after which new elections and appointments take place.

Disciplinary sections

Scientific knowledge within the CoNRS is systematically divided into disciplines or groups of disciplines, each represented by a section of the CoNRS. Each section belongs to one of the national institutes. This structure, established by ministerial decree, is periodically revised to accommodate the evolving landscape of science and its associated disciplines, with updates to the number and titles of sections. Each section operates under a clearly defined mandate, undertaking key responsibilities such as evaluating researchers, forming recruitment panels, and reviewing research projects in alignment with CNRS priorities. Upon the conclusion of their mandate, committees undergo elections and appointments to refresh their membership and maintain alignment with contemporary scientific needs. In addition to the disciplinary sections, several interdisciplinary commissions address research that spans multiple fields, fostering collaboration and innovation across traditional boundaries. you can browse the committees of the different sections here: https://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/contact/annuaire.php

You might know that the section dealing with astrophysics and astronomy is currently Section 17, called: “Système solaire et univers lointain”. However, the CoNRS is updating its sections as of next year.

Restructuring of the CoNRS sections in 2025

In September 2025, the CoNRS will implement a significant restructuring of its disciplinary sections to reflect recent advancements in scientific research and its international impact. You can read all about it (in French) here: https://www.cnrs.fr/en/node/9056

The number of sections will increase from 41 to 43, and the names and scopes of several existing sections will be revised. This includes changes to eight section names and a complete renumbering of all sections. For example, the current Section 17, which focuses on astrophysics, will be renumbered as Section 19 with its new name: “Astrophysique”.

The restructuring process has been planned over the past year in collaboration with CNRS institute directors and its Scientific Council. According to Alain Schuhl, Deputy Director General for Science, this effort provides an opportunity to redefine the boundaries and specializations of the sections, ensuring they align with modern research developments. The goal is to create a coherent framework that better supports interdisciplinary collaboration, clarifies evaluation criteria, and reflects the current state of the scientific landscape.

👉 This means that our Section 17 becomes Section 19 - but only next year!

As we mentioned earlier, the section we’re focusing on in this blog is undergoing a bit of a makeover. Section 17, which deals with astrophysics and astronomy, is changing both its name and number. Starting next year, it will be known as Section 19, and the name itself will be simplified to better reflect its focus. For now, though, everything stays as it is. It is unclear for now whether for this year’s concours, applicants will still apply under Section 17 or already the new Section 19. We should find out very soon though with the official opening of the CNRS concours within the next ~10 days or so, so stay tuned!

The CoNRS in Recruitment

It is the CoNRS section committees that are in charge of the concours for the CNRS in their respective section. With a mandate of five years, this committee takes in all applications for the Chargés de Recherche and Directeurs de Recherche, evaluates them and selects candidates for potential auditions and makes the final hiring choices. We’ll be covering the concrete concours process in a future post.

Summary

The CoNRS profoundly influences the French research landscape by providing strategic advice to align CNRS activities with national and global research priorities. It ensures the evaluation and recommendation processes foster innovation and impactful research, maintaining the CNRS’s position as a prominent institution. Additionally, the CoNRS incorporates input from both elected researchers and appointed experts, creating a comprehensive decision-making framework. These efforts collectively support the advancement of scientific research in France and its integration into the broader global scientific community.

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