Fabrice Kordon, co-president of the Assembly of Laboratory Directors, who leads the research lab in computer science at Sorbonne University (LIP6-UMR7606), expressed concern about the feedback received from colleagues in the humanities and social sciences. His colleague Vincent Artero added that for the first time this year, part of the operating budget was provided using the institution’s own resources, as there were not enough state subsidies. This situation is causing alarm among researchers, with the director of the Laboratory of Chemistry and Biology of Metals (UMR University of Grenoble Alps-CNRS-CEA 5249) warning that there will be no reserves left by the end of the year.
In an official statement, the annual grant provided by the state to the CNRS has remained stable at 2.9 billion euros in recent years. However, the situation has become more complicated over the past two years due to mandatory expenses not covered by the state, accumulating to over 500 million euros since October 2024.
It was stated in a letter from the president-director general of CNRS, Antoine Petit, to the unit directors dated March 24. Petit referred to an initial budget deficit of 239 million euros for 2026, caused directly by subsidy reclassifications since 2024, with the accumulated charges exceeding 500 million euros.
In response, immediate spending cuts of 20 million euros were announced by the cabinet of the Prime Minister, with savings directed towards real estate investment and operational, equipment, and research funding aimed at activities conducted by research units. Requests for comments from the Prime Minister’s office and the Minister of Higher Education and Research went unanswered.
Meanwhile, some directors are considering discontinuing certain projects starting in October due to the financial constraints. Matthieu Refregiers, on behalf of the CNRS Laboratory Directors Committee in Orleans, noted that research projects heavily reliant on equipment will be most impacted by these budget cuts, such as studies on more fuel-efficient tires or finding alternatives to certain metals in batteries to support sovereign battery production in France.
