Session at the National Assembly, September 15, 2020. -

NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

In the Assembly, the deputies examine from this Monday the draft law on research in a tense context.

This project, presented by the government as an “unprecedented investment”, is contested by a large number of researchers.

Evidence of this protest: the intersyndicale of higher education and research calls to “gather massively” at 2 pm in front of the Palais-Bourbon against a text which, in its eyes, “institutionalizes the precariousness of the personnel”.

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".

Abandoned scientific careers

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 such as China, Korea, Germany and the Anglo-Saxon countries which remain dominant", insisted Frédérique Vidal in committee.

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

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.

Academic freedom or competition

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

"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.

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, while harming academic freedom.

New American courses

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 with 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 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, when the average age for recruiting a 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.

Politics

The scientific research bill criticized for its lack of ambition

Society

Research Act: Researchers in the streets this Thursday to express their concern

  • Society

  • Law Project

  • National Assembly

  • Research

  • Frederique Vidal

  • Researchers