French funding cuts ‘contradict’ Macron’s research pledge

Cuts of almost €1 billion (£850 million) to France’s research and higher education budget are in “total contradiction” to president Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to invest in science, sector leaders have said.

In February, finance minister Bruno Le Maire announced plans to reduce France’s 2024 budget by €10 billion after revised forecasts indicated the country’s economy would see less growth than initially predicted. The new budget decreases funding for research and higher education by €904 million, including a €383 million cut to “multidisciplinary scientific and technological research”.

The budget reduction comes after Mr Macron set out ambitious plans to reorganise the French research system in a December speech. Announcing his “vision for the future of French research”, the president lamented the “chronic underinvestment” of years past and proposed an overhaul of research financing.

Speaking to Times Higher Education, higher education minister Sylvie Retailleau called the budget cuts a “challenge”, but stressed that they would largely affect funding reserves. “It’s very important not to directly impact research projects,” she said.

But sector leaders expressed doubt that such a major budget cut could be made without leaving a footprint. “Nobody really believes that you can cut €1 billion and not have a significant impact in terms of available money,” Martin Andler, emeritus professor at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and president of the Initiative for Science in Europe, told THE.

“Research projects, buildings, renovations – all of these things are likely to be impacted. Our base budget is pretty low; state expenses for research are comparatively low. It’s not like we’re starting from a good situation and it’ll be a small inconvenience; we’re starting from a very bad situation and now money has been cut. It will definitely make things worse.”

The cuts came in the wake of a €2.1 billion extraction from the Horizon Europe budget in order to fund support for Ukraine, Professor Andler noted, while they would also hinder France’s efforts to meet the European Union goal of raising research and development investment to 3 per cent of gross domestic product. In 2022, French spending stood at 2.2 per cent. 

Boris Gralak, secretary general of the National Trade Union of Scientific Researchers (SNCS-FSU), called the cuts a “total contradiction from the speech of our president”. Mr Macron had emphasised the need to compete in space exploration, he said, yet the revised budget reduced funding for space research by €193 million.

Dr Gralak also raised concerns about reduced funding for climate and environmental initiatives: research into sustainable energy and development lost €109 million, while broader funding for “ecology, sustainable development and mobility” was cut by €2.2 billion. “Climate change is very urgent. We cannot wait,” he said.

“We don’t understand how it is possible to have all these cuts and what the consequences for research will be,” he continued. “For us it is impossible to imagine where this money can be taken from.”

Dr Gralak said research institutes were awaiting more clarity as to the nature of the cuts. “At this time it is impossible to understand,” he told THE. “Will there be compensation in the next few years, or is this money lost?”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com