European Research and International Cooperation Department of CNRS (DERCI-CNRS)

The European Research and International Cooperation Department (DERCI) implements and promotes CNRS’s European and international cooperation policy. Single point of entry for French and foreign institutional partners with regard to the organization’s international initiatives, it performs the following missions:

• selecting thematic and geographical priorities, setting up win-win cooperations and structuring partnerships;
• making CNRS’s international initiatives an essential tool to enhance French research attractiveness and visibility abroad;
• improving dialog and joining forces with other organizations, universities and alliances to propose coordinated initiatives at the European and international level.

Around 55,000 missions are carried out throughout the world each year. In addition, over 200 researchers (including secondees) perform research in foreign institutions for durations of one year or over. Joint publications with international partners also bear witness to CNRS’s international vitality. They make up over half of the organization’s publications.

Collaborative projects are organized on the basis of researchers’ proposals, which are subjected to a selection process within the CNRS authorities and in liaison with international partners.

CNRS participation in European programs

CNRS is a major player in the development of the European research area and thus an important contributor to the European integration process. Within the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7), it participated in the main five research programs of the European Commission, with which it has signed over 1250 contracts. In particular, the results obtained by French researchers in the ERC calls for proposals have further strengthened CNRS’s position as the organization that is home to the largest number of scientists in Europe. CNRS also took an active part in the International Cooperation projects (INCO) of the FP7 Capacities Programme.

Within the “France - Europe 2020” Strategic Agenda, aimed at helping French research tackle important challenges, and in keeping with the momentum of Horizon 2020, CNRS strives to increase the participation of its research teams to European calls for proposals. In particular, it will encourage its researchers to prepare proposals on strategic scientific topics as coordinators and will continue to provide information, support its researchers, and prompt them to submit proposals.