Discover the Europe of Research & International Cooperation Department of CNRS

Our missions

Single point of entry for French and foreign institutional partners with regard to the organisation’s international initiatives, it performs the following missions:

  • Selecting thematic and geographical priorities, setting up win-win cooperation and structuring partnerships;
  • Improving international cooperation monitoring tools and developing a decision-making ideology relying on suitable performance indicators;
  • Facilitating the research network between the CNRS and its national and international partners – universities, academies;
  • Welcoming, informing and guiding foreign delegations from research organisations, universities and/or research institutions in order to develop new partnerships;
  • Making international dialogue an essential tool to enhance French research attractiveness and visibility abroad;
  • Coordinating initiatives at the European and international level with foreign institutions.

 

Contact us

CNRS in Brussels

With laboratories that actively participate in EU research and development programmes, the CNRS positions itself as a research leader in Europe.

The Brussels office liaises between EU institutions and CNRS Institutes and departments. It relays the institution’s decisions to the Commission, Parliament, and European research organisations represented in Brussels. It also relies on the European project engineers (IPE) to help researchers take part in European projects. 

Contacts

Bilateral Europe

The bilateral Europe sector coordinates bilateral and multilateral relationships between the CNRS and its partners on the European continent, including Russia and the New Independent States.

Geographical proximity makes it possible to maintain long-standing relationships. As a result, framework agreements have been signed, leading to numerous collaborations between research organisations, universities or academies.

60%

of co-publications with foreign partners are in collaboration with the European Research Area (ERA)

9 countries

among the 15 leading co-publishers with the CNRS are from the Bilateral Europe sector

2/3

of the 25 highest-ranking co-publication partner institutions are in Europe

France’s neighbouring countries are the CNRS’s main partners, especially Germany and the United Kingdom, world leaders for  science and innovation, as well as Italy and Spain. The CNRS also has strong connections with smaller countries with an excellent research and innovation record. Cooperation with “UE 13” member states is also part of the CNRS’s commitment towards a stronger and always more inclusive ERA.

Asian sector

 Collaborations in the Asian sector reflect the region’s diversity, with countries that are economically and culturally heterogeneous.The Asian sector comprises two regions and integrates the Executive Secretariat of the European Interest Group (EIG) Concert Japan programme.

The first region covers Korea – Japan – Singapore – Taiwan, with which the CNRS maintains close and long-lasting relationships. Mainly based on innovation, the economic weight of these industrialised countries makes them influential actors of global scientific research.

The second region includes China, which, in light of its exceptional scientific and technologic development, has become a valuable partner for the CNRS. More generally, the area covers South East Asia – especially Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, which enjoys significant scientific and human potential.

Beijing office

The CNRS is fully involved in scientific research with China since the 1970s. Increasing cooperation between Chinese research teams and CNRS researchers led to the opening of the Beijing office in 1995.

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Tokyo office

The CNRS regional office in north Asia is located in Tokyo. It liaises between the CNRS – and French research in general – and research institutions in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

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ASEAN-Oceanian office

The ASEAN office, located in Singapore, opened in 2014. It represents the CNRS within the research communities of South East Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Oceanian countries.

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African / Middle Eastern / Indian sector

 This sector covers countries with very different positions in the scientific landscape. India of course, but also South Africa, Israel, Iran and Turkey are characterised by their training and research capacity as well as by their scientific production. Northern African and Middle Eastern countries – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon – also collaborate closely with CNRS research teams. In sub-Saharan Africa, scientific research is not homogeneous, despite opportunities for efficient cooperation.  Kenya and Nigeria are the most important scientific stakeholders, but CNRS collaborations are centered around francophone Africa, especially Senegal.

Pretoria office

Since 2011, the IRD and the CNRS have run a joint office in South Africa, to monitor scientific cooperation in the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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New Delhi office

In 2011, the Delhi office saw the light of day to represent the CNRS with Indian research players. This office also works closely with other countries on the Indian subcontinent, namely Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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American / Oceanian sector

The American/Oceanian sector includes regions – the American continent as well as Australia and New Zealand – with varying profiles:

North America is the world leader in research. Some of the largest countries in South America – such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile, play an essential regional role even though their economies can be unstable. Australia and New Zealand are working increasingly closely with Europe with a view to strengthening their scientific cooperation with the continent, while remaining close to Asia.

Canada – USA – Mexico office

The Washington office represents the CNRS in the US, Canada and Mexico. The CNRS and its ten Institutes define strategic priorities and subsequent actions in the region.

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South-America Office in Rio

Since 2010, the office in Rio de Janeiro has been the CNRS’s permanent representation in South-America. Its main objective is to facilitate scientific cooperation between the CNRS and its South American partners: Brazil, Argentina, Chili and Uruguay.

Contacts

 

ASEAN-Oceanian office

The ASEAN office, located in Singapore, opened in 2014. It represents the CNRS within the research communities of South East Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Oceanian countries.

Contacts