Download our guide: "Research in France" to find out more about French research: how it works, its organisation, the main people and establishments involved.
HOW PUBLIC RESEARCH IS ORGANISED IN FRANCE
In France, researchers can carry out their research in different institutions : public research institutions such as the CNRS, universities, the Grandes Ecoles and the structures of excellence.
In research institutions, researchers work full time and do purely research (almost even non teaching). On the other hand, in institutions such as the universities, researchers have the professeurs-chercheurs status and give classes at the same time as they do research.
At universities, research is carried out in mixed research units, including professeurs-chercheurs from the university and researchers from research institutions.
To find out more about research in France, download our guide "Research in France".
WHERE TO DO YOUR RESEARCH?
DIRECTORIES OF RESEARCH LABORATORIES
The research laboratories hire professeurs-chercheurs from universities or Grandes Ecoles. There are also researchers from major public research institutions such as the CNRS, INRA, INRIA or INSERM. Several directories enable you to find the French research laboratories that match with your field of studies:
-
le répertoire national des structures de recherche (the national directory of research structures) (only in French);
- l’annuaire des laboratoires de recherche du CNRS (the directory of CNRS research laboratories) (only in French);
- le répertoire scanR (the scanR directory) (for public and private research laboratories).
THE DIRECTORY OF DOCTORAL SCHOOLS
You can also use the directory of Doctoral schools on the Campus France site for the contact information of a specific research laboratory. Start by identifying the Doctoral school that corresponds to your field. The "Laboratories" tab then lets you scroll through the list of research laboratories affiliated with it.
