Strategic Council for Research

The Strategic Council for Research in Engineering Schools was launched in 2024 in order for CDEFI to work on the political positionning of Engineering Schools in the French research ecosystem in science and technology. This positionning is essential given the considerable impact of intensive research carried out by some schools. 

The Council is made up of Deans representing the main groups of schools in France, and is chaired by Jacques Fayolle, Director of Mines Saint-Étienne and President of CDEFI from 2019 to 2023. 
The full list of members of the Strategic Council for Research  is available here.

 

The role of the Strategic Council for Research

The Council's mission is to affirm the key role and participation of Engineering Schools in the national research effort, and to strengthen their position as major operators of research in Exact science which cannot be overlooked in the development of public policies for research and the revival of industry, policies from which they are too often sidelined. 
To find out more about the creation of the Strategic Council for Research, read this press release.

 

The priorities of the Strategic Council for Research

The Council works on drafting structured notes adopted by majority consensus of the members. 

The following priority themes will be addressed in the coming months:
 
  • the restructuring of research, the link between schools and UMRs (joint research unit), the launch of programme agencies, simplification; 
  • intellectual property management and economic development;
  • the attractiveness of PhD;
  • the strengths and weaknesses of French research on the international stage.

 
Focus on the Gillet report 

Following Mr Gillet's submission of his report on the research and innovation ecosystem to the French Minister of Higher Education and Research in June 2023, CDEFI reacted on several points. These include the fact that Engineering Schools are not explicitly mentioned as "research operators" in the same way as universities, the importance for programme agencies of a strict and complete separation between their new activities and those of research operators, and the essential nature for schools of maintaining a strategic cohesion between training, research and innovation, which must, where appropriate, be integrated into the overall sites' strategy without being diluted.