Émergence@Physique call for projects

In order to support the development of research projects by individuals from units under the primary responsibility of CNRS Physics, the Emergence@Physique call is renewed each year.

Its purpose is to help researchers who were recruited three to five years ago to develop a new project in which they will be the main drivers. This call is open to CRCN (Chargés de Recherche CNRS) or MCF (Maîtres de Conférences), or equivalent, working in units primarily under CNRS Physique, and to CRCNs from sections 02, 03, 04, and 05 assigned to units under CNRS Physics' secondary responsibility.

Three types of support are available:

1. A 12-month contract (postdoctoral, doctoral, or IT allowance), with additional funding of up to €15,000. Possible co-funding to extend the fixed-term contract can be indicated. For a thesis, a letter of commitment from the co-funder covering the additional 24 months must be attached to the application.
2. A maximum grant of €60,000 to purchase, co-fund, or renew specific equipment (or contribute to its purchase). Any co-funding obtained or requested should be mentioned in the application. Shared use of the equipment and/or the development of an original instrument within the lab are encouraged.
3. A €30,000 grant (for travel and related expenses) to support a minimum six-month sabbatical stay abroad, within the framework of a scientific project related to the applicant’s French host laboratory. Any additional financial support from the foreign host institution, if applicable, will be taken into account in the evaluation of the project.

Émergence 2025 call for applications

Emergence@Physique call for projects success rate

Tremplin@Physique call for projects

To further strengthen its disciplinary themes, CNRS Physics has renewed the Tremplin@Physique call for projects each year.

This funding aims to help overcome scientific and/or technological obstacles, enabling researchers to obtain substantial follow-up funding in the short term from a variety of sources (ERC, Horizon Europe, ANR, etc.).

A maximum of €25,000 per project may be granted. This budget may be used to finance equipment, operational costs, and travel to establish collaborations with other French or international research laboratories.

Tremplin 2025 call for applications

Tremplin@Physique call for projects success rate

CNRS Physics' Gender Parity and Equality Policy

The gender equality policy of CNRS Physics is part of the broader parity policy framework of CNRS. In this context, the institute has implemented a plan to improve gender parity and equality in its laboratories, with two main objectives:

1. Increase the number of women entering physics laboratories
2. Ensure that gender does not influence professional activities or career advancement

Preamble: Some Observations...

The CNRS Physics gender parity and equality policy was developed based on the following observations:

• Women are underrepresented in physics laboratories, and the number of young women choosing careers as physicists remains low.

• Although the number of women researchers in physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer science is relatively low, their chances of promotion are close to those of men, as shown by the Male Advantage Index. A male index of 1 means that the relative proportion of men promoted to research director is the same as that of women. However, in scientific fields with more female researchers—such as biology, humans and social sciences, and ecology—the Male Advantage Index is significantly above 1 (2023 data, see figure below).

• Female and male researchers participate less in training programs than engineers and technicians (IT staff, men and women combined), particularly in human resources training.
   
• While women often contribute to organizational support within labs, they less frequently hold leadership positions.
   

• Gender stereotypes (and other biases) remain prevalent in workplaces and labs. Awareness of these biases within decision-making groups (cf. evaluation committees) enables more effective application of parity and equality principles. Measuring gender stereotypes within a unit should help foster greater consideration to gender equality.
   
• An interruption in professional activity can create a disruption in the working lives of female engineers, technicians and researchers, which needs to be supported (financially and in terms of organization).

How Can Gender Parity and Equality Be Improved in CNRS Physics Laboratories?

The CNRS Physics policy to improve gender parity and equality in its laboratories is structured around three main pillars:

• Attractiveness of the discipline. CNRS Physics aims to increase communication and mediation initiatives to raise awareness among young girls about physics as a viable and engaging career path. Laboratories are strongly encouraged to incorporate these aspects into their public outreach initiatives (e.g., specific training for science outreach). CNRS Physics also actively promotes female physicists' careers through the Institute's communications.

• Laboratory Life. CNRS Physics seeks strong collaboration with laboratories to collectively improve parity and equality. To this end, the Institute proposes to relay, through a network of gender focal points per CNRS Physics unit that has yet to be developed, the actions already in place at CNRS and the tools available to raise awareness of these issues over the long term. (e.g., encouraging CNRS Physics labs to measure gender stereotypes, to follow the e-learning course on ‘gender inequality in research’ developed by the CNRS MPDF; set up specific parity and equality indicators for laboratories, etc.).

• Career Support. CNRS Physics is working to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions and encourages female candidates to apply for such roles. It also seeks to better support women’s careers, particularly after career interruptions such as maternity leave (sharing information on parenting support tools provided by HR departments in the Delegations and Head Office, offering financial assistance to help researchers return from maternity leave, prioritizing secondment requests from female lecturer-researchers returning from maternity leave, exploring funding and support measures to ensure optimal maternity leave conditions for support functions and by offering them specific training (see ANF – "Women in Physical Sciences, to enhance skills, boost self-confidence, and sharing experiences").

Existing Gender Equality Initiatives at CNRS

• Mission for Women's Inclusion at CNRS (MPDF) – Established in 2001, reporting directly to the CEO. It coordinates a network of around twenty regional representatives and works closely with the CNRS Parity and Equality Committee. MPDF acts as a watchdog, providing guidance and evaluation on the integration of gender issues into CNRS’s overall policy.
   
• Parity and Equality Committee – Composed of representatives from institutes, HR, and MPDF, this committee makes recommendations to CNRS management, which gives them executive force when approved.
   
• Parity and Equality Coordinator Networks – Some CNRS delegations have created local networks focused on gender equality at their sites. Institutes such as CNRS Physics, CNRS Mathematics, and CNRS Computer Science have also developed their own internal networks. These networks offer a space to share experiences, legitimize parity-related actions, and visibly demonstrate the institute’s commitment to gender equality in laboratories.

Best practices and recommendations

Women in physics

 Read the "Women in physics" news from CNRS Physique.

The Environmental Transition at CNRS

CNRS seeks to mobilise its research strengths across all fields by contributing to the collective effort toward a sustainable society and a habitable planet. Through its research and innovations, it takes part in a global dynamic structured around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN).

Organisation of CNRS Physics for the Environmental Transition

CNRS Physics is committed to developing research in physics to address the challenges of environmental transition. A dedicated unit ensures the implementation and monitoring of measures. To facilitate exchanges with physics laboratories on this topic, a network of designated representatives has been deployed within the units affiliated with CNRS Physics.

Integrating Environmental Issues into Physics Research

The institute acts to reduce the environmental impact of physics research by implementing the CNRS low-carbon transition plan at the scale of physics laboratories. It works to measure and reduce the environmental impact of research activities and research support in physics. CNRS Physics promotes initiatives to reduce environmental impact within its affiliated units and raises awareness among their staff.

How Physics Research Contributes to the Low-Carbon Transition

Physics research fully contributes to the environmental transition by generating new knowledge. Through their work, physicists contribute to discoveries and innovations that address major contemporary societal challenges.

Support Situations

• New skills development and career advancement:
  Support when taking up a new post or changing duties, with a need to strengthen and/or develop skills and/or self-confidence building. This also includes exploring new career opportunities.
• Professional changes and transitions:
  Support during transitional periods, such as internal reorganizations, changes in roles, or returning to work after a prolonged absence (illness, maternity leave, etc.). The goal is to help individuals regain their bearings and find their place in a new or evolving environment.
• Loss of motivation and questioning the meaning of work:
  Support for individuals experiencing periods of doubt, fatigue, or disengagement in their professional activity, to help them rediscover purpose in their career path and regain lasting motivation.
• Work-related distress:
  Support for dealing with intense stress, overwork, relationship difficulties, or repeated sick leaves affecting both professional and personal balance. The aim is to better manage these difficulties and restore well-being at work.

This support system complements, but does not replace, other existing forms of support such as training, mentoring, or human resources actions. It also does not substitute systems dedicated to addressing psychosocial risks and conflict situations (support hotlines, incident reporting, mediation, etc.).

Note: This service is limited to CNRS researchers, as separate support systems for research support staff are managed at the regional delegation level.

The CNRS Physics’ mentoring program state of mind

Mentoring is a relationship in which one person (the mentor) supports and advises a colleague (the mentee), sharing their professional experience and personal insights from similar situations. It is not mandatory or systematic and may involve any early-career researcher.

Le mentorat se distingue du suivi scientifique par la section après le recrutement. Il se distingue aussi des outils mis en place par les laboratoires et les délégations régionales pour l'accueil des entrantes et entrants.

Objectives

Mentoring can address various aspects of professional life, including career development, time management, work-life balance, managing workplace relationships, visibility in the lab or internationally, responding to calls for proposals, etc.

Guidelines

Mentoring is initiated by the mentee and is based on mutual willingness. Although it involves a difference in experience, it does not establish a hierarchical relationship. It is a professional relationship grounded in listening, respect, and trust, with a shared commitment to confidentiality.

Implementation of Mentoring at CNRS Physics

Coordination Committee

A coordination committee composed of individuals from CNRS Physics and its Scientific Steering Committee (CSI) oversees the mentoring activities, including matching mentors and mentees.

At the national level, CNRS Physics has created a pool of experienced professionals who have volunteered to serve as mentors. Each mentoring pair is linked to a reference person from the coordination committee, who can offer additional support throughout the mentoring process.

Forming Mentoring Pairs

Anyone interested in participating in the mentoring program should send a brief request explaining their motivation to the coordination committee at: INP-mentorat@cnrs.fr.

A committee member will then contact the individual to clarify goals and expectations and to propose a suitable mentor. Following this exchange, the mentor and mentee will meet for a first session to discuss the objectives and structure of their mentoring relationship. If both parties agree on the goals and terms of the mentoring process, the mentor-mentee pair is officially established upon signing the Mentoring Charter.