Paris (AFP)

The deputies begin Monday the examination of the bill on research, which the government presents as an "unprecedented investment", but which contests a large part of the university community, in a delicate back-to-school climate.

The inter-union of higher education and research thus calls for "to gather massively" at 2 pm in front of the Palais Bourbon against a text which "institutionalizes the precariousness of the personnel", in its eyes.

A speech strictly opposite to that of the Minister of Research Frédérique Vidal, who claims a "historic" effort of 25 billion euros over 10 years and "the largest plan to upgrade staff for several decades".

Often postponed, this multi-year research planning law (LPPR) is based on a shared observation.

France suffers from a "growing investment deficit" in its research and "scientific careers attract less and less students", he notes in his introduction.

"We are reaching a tipping point where the risk of dropping out becomes real in the face of countries like China, Korea, Germany and the Anglo-Saxon countries which remain dominant," insisted Frédérique Vidal in committee.

To "rearm" research, the government therefore proposes to reinject 25 billion euros per step, in the amount charged: 400 million in 2021, 800 million in 2022, 1.2 billion in 2023 ... With the objective, in 2030, an annual budget of 20 billion euros per year, or 5 billion more than currently.

This should allow the budget for public research alone to reach 1% of GDP, the level to which the country had committed 20 years ago.

An important part aims to enhance the careers of researchers to make them more attractive.

And more than 5,000 jobs for researchers will be created.

But for the opponents of the text, it is a "reform in trompe l'oeil", since the government makes weigh most of the effort on the following five-year terms and can "guarantee" that 400 million more the year next, i.e. an additional effort less than that made in the 2020 budget (+500 M EUR).

"This is without counting on the enormous leverage effect of the recovery plan", answers the general rapporteur of the text, the deputy LREM Danièle Hérin, former president of the University of Montpellier 2.

Beyond the budget, it is the very philosophy of the text that is criticized and its flagship measure aimed at distributing new funding mainly through calls for projects, by boosting the National Research Agency (ANR) to the tune of one billion euros.

- "Attract other profiles" -

For the unions, this will be done to the detriment of long-term, so-called "basic" funding.

And that would push towards a "competitive and selective" research, by harming academic freedom.

Another major point of tension, the establishment of parallel recruitment channels.

The text provides for new American-style "tenure tracks", to gain tenure after a maximum of six years, as well as "scientific mission CDI", supposed to replace repeated fixed-term contracts, but ending with the research project to which they are associated.

Opponents of the text fear a "two-speed" system and a "questioning of the statutes", for more "precariousness".

According to LREM co-rapporteur Valérie Gomez-Bassac, there is however "no intention of reducing the number of civil servants or weakening the civil service. What we want is to attract other skills and other profiles. ", especially young women, when the average age for recruiting a senior lecturer is 34 years.

Since January, unions and collectives from the academic world have stepped up actions and sent several thousand people to the streets in early March.

But the confinement brought a big stop to this mobilization.

Just like the delicate start of the academic year, still under the threat of Covid-19, after six months of closure of universities.

In committee, the deputies gave the first green light in a generally peaceful atmosphere.

But it should be more electric in the hemicycle, where the left intends to relay the concerns of the unions.

The Socialist group intends for example to present Tuesday a "counter-project" which "completely reconstructs" the text.

© 2020 AFP