Too large, hegemonic, wayward, arrogant. The criticism raining down on the CNRS. With more than researchers 11.500 statutory and a budget of 2.9 billion euros, the Michelangelo Street House is the most important European scientific centre. Better with than the German reference, the Max Planck Gesellschaft twice. It is found at the CNRS. Literature, law, archaeology and the particle physics. From Plato to the Higgs boson, without forgetting the genome, the nanoparticles and Claude Lévi-Strauss. This wealth is a double-edged weapon. No reform cannot develop without the support of the first of the class. Reverse of the Medal, any attempt to balance between the players almost inevitably referee in his disfavor. The Board of Directors held today in Geneva, should endorse the reforms desired by Catherine Bréchignac. The President has implemented a "holding of institutes" powered by hundreds of research units selected according to qualitative criteria.
The reforms that strengthen the autonomy of universities and remove duplicates are experienced as a crime of majesté by the chiefs of the institution. The creation of the nine thematic institutes (soon 10) is translated by a series of wars between mandarins picrocholines totally perplexing. The establishment of the alliance for the life sciences, intended to unite the forces of the country, is felt as a new loss of influence for the benefit of the Inserm rival. In this context in the form of shrinking, trade unions and representatives of researchers amounts legitimately niche asking for a status quo ante bellum salvation. Objective: to return to the good old days, when the CNRS was only master on board.
Radical opposition
On January 20 presidential speech in Strasbourg has shocked a population which has more need to be reassured and motivated that dedicated to the same. Result: a lot of researchers came now "resistance" against a suspect at any time political power of wanting to "dismantle the CNRS. Any rectification of border which calls into question the "thematic continuity" is regarded as a"force". Any infringement of a universalism unique in the world, whose interest in the country and the institution remains to demonstrate, is deemed to be an infringement of the historical mission of the institution.
Management must deal constantly with the more radical opposition. The last two boards of Directors have been disrupted by tough protesters from various backgrounds. Today stands in the temple of physics, CERN ironically down for eight months. The unions have already denounced this "leak of Varennes. Catherine Bréchignac, whose mandate expires at the end of the year, said ready to press, at least for an additional demi-mandat to overcome its roadmap. This is not too taking into account the accumulated litigation.
For a decade, all Governments are broken teeth on a seemingly impossible mission. How develop research in the University fabric without strip CNRS and raise the level of the hexagonal science without pointing researchers All areas combined, the French public research produces about 25 of knowledge in less than its equivalent German or British (). To align the France on international standards, several new features have been introduced in the landscape: the national agency of research (ANR), evaluation (Aeres) Agency and the law on self-government (LRU).
The quarrel is old and does not reduce to a right-left opposition. In his thunderous crossing Rue de Grenelle, between 1997 and 2000, Claude Allègre had already triggered the revolt of a corporation accustomed to living with a power largely indifferent to the cause of civilian research. The priority given to the knowledge economy at the Lisbon Summit in 2000 has revived the interest of the policy for a magic equation: science technology jobs. Become strategic research sharpens the appetites and ambitions of the Ministers who "want their money."
Ideological controversy
The position of the opponents is just one sentence: "It was better before." The recent meeting of the national Committee for scientific research (CoCNRS) confirmed this nostalgia combined with clearly displayed political opposition. For Rémy Mosseri, spokesman for the C3 N which claims the support of a majority of researchers: "The vented are not independent since its management is appointed by the Government." It is even worse for the ANR "aggravating the precariousness". The concept of agencies of instruments in force in all countries is equally unacceptable "because part of the presidential speech." On the one hand, supporters of a still larger CNRS whose first ambition is to create scientific jobs. On the other, the defenders of an elitist model for producing knowledge in the interest of the country. Very giving ideological controversy between the public and the private sector, and through the generations. At the ceremony for new entrants (908 persons in 2009), young researchers celebrated their entry into the career in wielding a red card in the direction. A kind of salvation launched the citizen taxpayer who will pay their wages and their pensions for at least fifty years.
It is not more developed than in the pastIndeed the situation continues to be badAnd it is paid by the signing of the bookFirst positivez 20 years is the age of all possibleSome such as California are incompetentSo far the company was focused on wind energyThe management of gas of Strasbourg is no problemAfter six months of break he goes for his ideal conversionThe plural left deceased mécano did not so well saidPhenomenon engaged for more than a decade
