The Minister of Higher Education, Frédérique Vidal.

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Ludovic MARIN

It is in an already complicated re-entry that this text, already contested, makes its arrival.

The deputies will examine from Monday the draft law on research, carried by Minister Frédérique Vidal.

The latter highlights an “unprecedented investment” of 25 billion euros over ten years, which will bring “visibility” and “bring out a new generation of scientists”.

Several times postponed, the multiannual research programming law (LPPR) was put on track by the former Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, in February 2019. It is based on a shared observation: France suffers from a "Growing investment deficit" in its research and "dropping" compared to neighboring countries.

And "scientific careers attract less and less students", according to the preamble of the bill, subject to some 600 amendments.

Too late an effort?

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

The 25 billion euros must be injected in stages over the next ten years: 400 million in 2021, 800 million in 2022, 1.2 billion in 2023 ... With the objective, in 2030, of an annual budget of 20 billion euros per year, or 5 billion more than today.

But opponents of the LPPR accuse the government of making the bulk of the effort over the following five-year terms and of "guaranteeing" only 400 million more next year, ie an additional effort less than that agreed in the budget. 2020 (500 million).

"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.

Parallel recruitment routes

Beyond the only budgetary question, it is the 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.

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 for the benefit of a few, while harming academic freedom.

The major point of tension relates to the establishment of parallel recruitment channels, making opponents fear a “two-speed” system and an increase in precariousness.

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 with which they are associated.

“There is no intention to reduce the number of civil servants or weaken the civil service.

What we want is to attract other skills and other profiles ”, especially young women, insists LREM co-rapporteur Valérie Gomez-Bassac, who defends“ junior professorships ”, another initiated device. by the bill.

A sparse dispute

While the intersyndicale de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche called for a “massive rally” Monday afternoon in front of the Palais Bourbon to demand the “abandonment” of a bill which “institutionalizes the precariousness of personnel Since January, unions and collectives from the university world have stepped up actions and sent several thousand people to the streets.

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.

“It's much more difficult, with scattered fronts,” laments law professor Véronique Champeil-Desplats (Nanterre), mobilized against the text.

Consultative bodies have also voiced criticisms, such as the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese), which considers the investment "not up to the challenges".

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

But it will be more electric in the Chamber, with the left which intends to relay the concerns of the unions.

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