French National Centre For Scientific Research - Organisation

Organisation

Following a 2009 reform, the CNRS is divided into 10 institutes:

• Institute of Chemistry (INC)
• Institute of Ecology and Environment (INEE)
• Institute of Physics (INP)
• National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IN2P3)
• Institute of Biological Sciences (INSB)
• Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (INSHS)
• Institute for Computer Sciences (INS2I)
• Institute for Engineering and Systems Sciences (INSIS)
• Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INSMI)
• National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy (INSU)

Previously, it was divided into INSU, IN2P3, and several "scientific departments".

The National Committee for Scientific Research, which is in charge of the recruitment and evaluation of researchers, is divided into 47 sections (e.g. section 1 is mathematics; section 7 is computer science and control). Research groups are affiliated with one primary institute and an optional secondary institute; the researchers themselves belong to one section.

For administrative purposes, the CNRS is divided into 18 regional divisions (including four just for the region of Paris).

CNRS runs its research units either independently or in association with other institutions, such as INSERM or universities. In French these units are called laboratoires informally and unités de recherche in administrative parlance. They are either operated solely by CNRS (and then known as unités propres de recherche or UPR) or as mixed organizations (unités mixtes de recherche or UMR), respectively. Each research unit has a unique numeric code attached and is headed by a director (typically, a university professor or CNRS research director). A research unit may be divided into research groups ("équipes").

CNRS also has support units, which, analogously to the research units, are called unités propres de service (UPS) or unités mixtes de service (UMS). A UPS or UMS may for instance supply administrative, computing, library, or engineering services.

Currently, CNRS researchers are active in 1,256 research groups, 85 percent of which are "mixed" and also include non-CNRS researchers (most notably university professors); mixed groups tend to be housed inside universities and other institutions of higher education. The prevalence of such "mixed" research groups is an unusual characteristic of the French system.

The headquarters of CNRS are at the Campus Gérard Mégie in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.