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.

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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?Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.

¡°Research projects, buildings, renovations ¨C 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.¡±

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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.¡±

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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?Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. ¡°Will there be compensation in the next few years, or is this money lost?¡±

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com