Biophysical Society Newsletter | August 2017

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER 14 AUGUST 2017
President Macron's Invitation to American
Researchers: A French Perspective
President Macron started supporting research on
ecological issues during the French presidential
campaign. On February 9, 2017, three months
before he was elected president, a video was
posted to his Facebook and Twitter pages that ex-
tended a warm welcome to foreign scientists. "We
want people working on climate change, energy,
renewables, and new technologies. France is your
nation," he said.
Following the same track, and since June 20
2017, when President Trump withdrew the
United States from the "accords de Paris" (the
Paris agreement on climate change, see http://
unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php),
President Macron launched a new project called
"Make Our Planet Great Again" to attract foreign
scientists and entrepreneurs to work on ecology in
France
form). Selected candidates will be offered a four-
year grant of up to €1.5 million for scientists with
more than 15 years’ experience, and €1 million
for scientists with more than two years’ experience
following their PhD. President Macron’s offer
includes French residency rights, provides for
work permits for spouses, and includes help with
administrative and practical issues associated with
relocation.
This type of call is now common in France.
While research in France used to be based on
recurrent grants for departments, in the last two
decades, many initiatives from research agencies
and organizations, universities, and institutes have
been developed to attract independent scien-
tists working on specific projects. The funding
schemes in terms of duration and amount of
grants are similar to that proposed by President
Macron. Selection of funded projects is made
by independent committees, constituted by the
granting agencies. Selection committees include
experts in the field, coming from France and
abroad, reviewers who are both internal and exter-
nal to the granting agency, and representatives of
the funding organizations.
Once the grant is over, researchers can apply
for permanent positions within French research
organizations that are listed on the website for
applicants. If the four years have been successful
in terms of publications, researchers rarely fail
in obtaining a permanent position. And many
want to stay: Without the help of any particu-
lar international initiatives, the CNRS (Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, the French
equivalent of the NIH or NSF), is made up of
more than 30% foreign permanent researchers.
A position as a permanent researcher in France
allows a lot of scientific freedom since there is no
tenure-type evaluation, and this is particularly
necessary for projects that need time to mature.
Indeed, the American system, with the tenure
track scheme, emphasizes productivity and does
not allow early career researchers to take risks that
may delay publications. In addition, as explained
on the website "Make Our Planet Great Again,"
there are many important advantages in France
for researchers’ families. For children, the website
states quite rightly that "French public schools
are free, and the tuition fees of universities and
'grandes écoles' are very low compared to the
American system."
Launching the program by President Macron
"Make Our Planet Great Again" did not unani-
“At the very least, 'Make Our
Planet Great Again' is a powerful
symbolic move, reminding us all
that science is an international
endeavor, and that climate
change has no borders. ”