But the reform of the CNRS drives the nail

In white gowns, Frédéric Dardel verifies the result of its handling in his laboratory, where are aligned with various measuring devices. Former Director of the Department of the CNRS life sciences, it is not against the reform, because it could allow simplification of management and organization. "But it has risks," he insists.

Indeed, to the lifting of shields of scientists, it is not certain that the Board of Directors of CNRS vote on March 26, the contract of employment with the State 2009-2013, expected the reform in music. Indeed, the world of research is in full boiling since 2007, when the national agency of research was created, integrating the scientific work in a logic of projects to validate to receive funding. But the reform of the CNRS drives the nail. Bouleverse Encore sur Donne autonomie des et la Loi sur. still upset on gives autonomy of and the Act sur sur.

Means agency mission

In the eyes of researchers, reform fragments CNRS in internal institutes, an open door, according to them, to its dismantling and its resumption in hand by the world policy. Term, CNRS has a mission Agency of means. What makes fear researchers an acceleration in the race for funding. Moreover, the fact that CNRS should soon delegate management of part of its funds to the universities are concerned.

Another source of uncertainty, the reform is part of a context of reduction of posts. 16 February, the direction of the CNRS, which account 32,000 employees, including statutory researchers 11.600, envisaged the abolition of 596 posts of engineers and technicians and 253 positions of researchers on the next five years. At the same time, 450 chairs CNRS-University, with masters of conferences jointly recruited then delegated to the CNRS should partly compensate these departures... temporarily. Because, after five years, the scientist will leave in his University. What raise resentment.

Yet, "everything is fact so that reform is invisible from the researchers," said Liliane Flabbée, one of the regional delegates of the CNRS for Paris.

With or without a contract, things start to be put in place. To enhance every area of research, 9 disciplinary institutes, internal to the CNRS, replace, for the moment, its 6 historical departments. "We play institutes pending the release of the decrees which will set the terms and conditions", explains Rémy Mosseri, researcher in theoretical physics. Objective: give to the directors of the institutes "greater freedom operational, including to assign means of functioning laboratories", says Alain Resplandy-Bernard, Secretary General of the CNRS.

Lack of ground staff

The other objective of the reform is to take into account the empowerment of the universities. Some 90 of the scientists of the CNRS working in mixed research (UMR) units, under the tutelage of one or several national organizations of research but also of local universities. For the sake of readability, the units will be able to retain only two guardianship, the local University and a national research organization. A sometimes tricky to implement logic. Director Assistant of the laboratory of archaeology and ancient sciences, Philippe Soulier is not how to reconcile the interests of his three guardianships, CNRS and the universities of Nanterre and Sorbonne-Panthéon. "None of the two universities wants be under the authority of the other", comments, fearing the demerger of its unity. However, despite its impressive size, with 270 permanent, his laboratory "has a real internal dynamics". In addition, that will become its 23 personal technical and administrative, all employed by the CNRS

Term, universities should also recover the financial management of a large number of units that they support. CNRS will then provide them an endowment. The transfer is intended to simplify the work of the managers of the units, which juggle with software and financing. However, the lack of staff enough ground to ensure the administrative follow-up of the projects concerned. "When in 2006 CNRS has agreed to transfer the management of some units at the University of Sophia-Antipolis, it had to outsource a part of management", recalls Jacques Fossey, Director of research and trade unionist.

Valérie Pécresse, Minister of research, is aware of a shortage of administrative management in universities. But a redeployment of the workforce will be difficult to immediately. And you must reclassify the staff of the CNRS today in charge of these missions. "We have 7 managers to manage our budget 4 million of which 6 are employed by the CNRS. That will become ", wondered what Jacques Steinmetz, hosted by Toulouse University in chemical engineering a UMR research engineer.

"Infantilizing" and inappropriate

For its part, the la direction branch of the CNRS preferred to retain technical positions, even make the reduction on these transverse positions of engineers, technicians and administrative (ITA). And to do that researchers build of more skills to address them.

However, to do no harm to the work of researchers, a specification was established. Among other things, the new Manager will need to not discontinue these services more than two weeks, at least as favourable to reimburse mission than its predecessor, or even effective continuous training of personnel. New services emerge, such as a card for each laboratory. "Since February, we can for example pay with this card entries in Congress that the researchers did reimburse only a posteriori", welcomes Frédéric Dardel. But the market seems high for a number of universities.

The reform includes a third component: the reduction of human resources management, coupled with a willingness to "organize the expression of skills and talents." The direction of the CNRS wants to focus on promotions. "Between 2007 and 2009, we increased 25 of researchers and 40 promotions body for the ITA changes", says Alain Resplandy-Bernard. CNRS also hopes to strengthen the follow-up to the evaluation of researchers, always entrusted to the peers of the national Committee of the CNRS. The head pleads for "a momentous fact bonus". Must be able to perform: "research is extraordinarily unfair notes Catherine Jeandel, researcher in chemical oceanography laboratory Legos in Toulouse.". A campaign at sea asks us a year of preparation during which we do publish nothing, for example. "For the scientist, the new system is"infantilizing"and inappropriate, because the individual premiums do not reflect the operation of the research team.

Yet, according to Valérie Pécresse, Minister of research, CNRS has no choice: it must "adapt its global positioning", she wrote to Catherine Bréchignac, President of the organization. IRAP to reconcile fundamental research and performance is not simple. "The discoveries is provide not", summarizes Rémy Mosseri. Yet, the interests of each and other seem inconsistent. Because, says Alain Resplandy-Bernard, "we recruit researchers at the highest level and our only interest is to ensure that they have the conditions to be the most creative possible." Rest to agree.