23 / 80
MATHEMATICS IN FRANCE TODAY
As many as 4 000 mathematicians
work as academics in France.
Around 10% of them are full time
researchers in governmental research
organisations like CNRS (French
National
Centre
for
Scientific
Research), Inria (French Institute
for Research in Computer Science
and Automation) or INSEE (National
Institute of Statistics and Economic
Studies), and also CEA and INRA. The
vast majority of mathematicians have
a position at a University or at some
other higher education establishment
(Grande
École),
not
forgetting
prestigious institutions like Collège
de France, Institut Henri Poincaré and
IHÉS. Research in mathematics takes
place in around 100 research centers,
most of them managed jointly by the
CNRS and a University. The CNRS is
divided into ten scientific departments
and one of them - INSMI - is fully
dedicated to mathematics and their
applications. It plays a key role in
structuring the French mathematical
community.
This unique organizational design has
proved to be very efficient, allowing
the French mathematical school to
flourish successfully in essentially all
parts of mathematics.
Industry, notably big companies like
EDF, Engie, Thalès, and banks, is
actively involved in the development of
research in appliedmathematics, most
often in collaboration with academia.
On a larger scale, mathematics has
a very strong impact on the French
economy and job market: according to
a recent study produced by consulting
firm CMI, mathematics impacts
directly around 15% of France’s GDP
and 9 % of jobs with high added value.
CEA : Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux
énergies alternatives
INRA : Institut national de la recherche agronomique
OPEN TO THE WORLD
France has a long tradition in training
and hosting mathematicians from all
around the world. Currently, amongst
the 400 PhDs in mathematics awarded
every year in France, around 55% of the
recipients are from abroad and 50%
will later find a position outside France.
Numerous programs and networks at
all levels (pre-doctoral, doctoral, post-
doctoral) have been created in the last
years to fund fellowships for foreign
students.
French research agencies and the
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
support a large number of international
programs. A particular role is played by
CIMPA (International Centre for Pure
and Applied Mathematics), a non-profit
international organization established
in France, which promotes international
cooperation in mathematics towards
developing countries. Over the past
few years, CNRS has launched a dozen
international math laboratories all
around the world.
Many mathematicians from all over the
world have already had the opportunity
to experience a visit to the CIRM in
Luminy or the Institut Henri Poincaré in
Paris, where workshops and thematic
programs are organized on a regular
basis. Since the days of the 1900 ICM
in Paris, when Hilbert announced his
famous list of unsolved problems,
France has become one of the most
popular destinations in the world for
organizing international conferences
and workshops, with several hundred
events every year, distributed all over
the country.
23
-