Biophysical Society Newsletter | August 2017

14

2017

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

AUGUST

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 (https://www.makeourplanetgreatagain.fr/ 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. “ 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. ”

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-

This type of call is now common in France. While research in France used to be based on