As expectations from innovation rise in a context of digital and ecological transition, and increased international tensions revive research competition, how do things stand with France? With a substantial scientific heritage and a longstanding presence at the forefront of global science, its knowledge production currently seems less dynamic in a very demanding international context. At the national level, researchers are expressing difficulties, from both lack of resources and the complexities of the research system.
Drawing on the most recent figures from the French Science and Technology Observatory (OST), Agénor Lahatte and Frédérique Sachwald shine a light on the comparative dynamics of the nation’s scientific publication since 2010. They outline how these international comparisons are made and go on to analyse various different indicators among the highest-ranking researchers and by individual discipline.
Though the overall figures are not alarming in themselves (with the rate of publication rising), the dynamics observed are worthy of attention. France seems only moderately involved in fields that are growing fast at the global level (such as computer science, including artificial intelligence) or the largest fields for publication (e.g. chemistry). Conversely, its involvement remains high in relatively undynamic disciplines (physics, mathematics, human sciences). These combined developments might easily result in France becoming estranged from strategic areas. The trends identified in this article will have to be fleshed out precisely by complementary analyses, but they already enable us to grasp the general trajectory of the French research system and contribute to thinking about how it is developing.
