New law spurs discussions on future direction of French research funding
Unknowns surrounding research law being drafted by government has made unions and science organisations anxious
‘The quality of French research is threatened,’ declared the National Committee for Scientific Research (CoNRS) at an emergency meeting on 4 July. In February, the French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced that a multi-year research law was in the works and expected to come in on 1 January 2021. What exactly that law will entail is still unknown. As a result, CoNRS and scientific unions are nervous about the forthcoming law and have been outlining their own suggestions of what should be included. To what extent French ministers will listen as they draft their proposal remains to be seen.