Collectif Sauvons la Recherche

Collectif Sauvons la Recherche is a French advocacy coalition formed in 2009 to defend public research and higher education funding in France. The coalition mobilized researchers, doctoral candidates, professors, laboratory staff and allied organizations in response to policy changes affecting Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, budgetary reforms, and employment conditions. It has engaged with institutions such as Université Paris-Saclay, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Collège de France, École Normale Supérieure (Paris), and various regional universities.

History

The movement emerged during debates linked to reforms under administrations of Nicolas Sarkozy, François Fillon, and later policy shifts under François Hollande and Emmanuel Macron, intersecting with broader disputes over the Loi de finances (France), public sector restructurings, and research agency reorganizations. Early activities connected to disputes at institutes like Institut Pasteur, interactions with funding bodies such as Agence nationale de la recherche, and protests against proposed cuts that paralleled actions by unions including Confédération générale du travail, Fédération syndicale unitaire, and Union nationale des étudiants de France. The Collectif coordinated open letters, petitions, and appeal campaigns referencing international bodies like European Research Council, drawing attention from media outlets including Le Monde, Libération, and Le Figaro.

Objectives and Campaigns

The Collectif articulated objectives addressing funding, employment, and governance: advocating increased allocations in the Loi de finances pour la recherche, protection of tenure tracks at institutions such as Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université Grenoble Alpes, and opposing contract precarity affecting staff affiliated with CNRS and INSERM. Campaigns targeted administrative reforms at organizations like Comité national de la recherche scientifique, engaged with debates on performance metrics promoted by agencies such as Agence d'évaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur, and aligned with international petitions involving Max Planck Society, Royal Society, and National Academy of Sciences (United States). The collective also campaigned on legislative matters touching the Code de la recherche and broader higher education laws debated in the Assemblée nationale (France) and the Sénat (France).

Organization and Membership

Membership comprised researchers, doctoral students, laboratory technicians, professors affiliated with universities such as Université Lyon 1, Université de Lille, Université de Strasbourg, and representatives from research organizations including CNRS, CEA, and INRAE. Organizational structure was horizontal, featuring working groups liaising with entities like Société française de physique, Société chimique de France, Association française pour l'information scientifique, and learned societies such as Académie des sciences and Académie des technologies. Leadership roles rotated among spokespersons drawn from departments at institutions like Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and Université Aix-Marseille. The group cooperated with student unions such as Fédération étudiante and professional associations including Société Française d’Écologie on joint mobilizations.

Major Protests and Actions

Key actions included national demonstration days in Paris coordinated near landmarks like Place de la République, sit-ins at ministerial offices near Hôtel de Lassay and press conferences staged close to Sorbonne (building). The Collectif organized symbolic occupations of laboratories referencing precedents at University of California, Berkeley protests and solidarity events aligning with international movements at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, and University of Oxford. It ran social media campaigns alongside petitions hosted by platforms used by groups connected to Amnesty International, coordinated open forums with scholars from Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and engaged in testimony at parliamentary hearings in the Assemblée nationale (France) and panels at conferences like European Congress of Radiology and World Conference on Research Integrity.

Reception and Impact

Responses ranged from supportive statements by figures within Académie des sciences and directors at institutions like Institut Curie to criticism from political actors aligned with Ministry of Economy and Finance (France) austerity policies. Coverage by outlets such as France Inter, France Culture, and Reuters elevated debates around research careers and funding, contributing to policy reviews within agencies such as ANR and prompting parliamentary questions in the Sénat (France). The Collectif influenced discourse on metrics and evaluation practices promoted by international organizations including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and prompted comparative studies involving German Research Foundation, Science Europe, and European Commission research programs. Its actions also fostered networks between French researchers and counterparts at European University Association and non-governmental advocacy groups focused on science policy reform.

Category:Science advocacy groups Category:Research in France Category:Organizations established in 2009