French institutions back the March for Science

On April 22, the citizens of the world are invited to participate in a massive March for Science. The initiative was launched by US scientists in response to " new policies [that] threaten to further restrict scientists' ability to carry out research and communicate their findings ." As directors of public research institutions, we uphold the idea that " science is a process, not a product - a tool for discovery that allows us to constantly expand and refine our knowledge of the Universe. " We too face the problem of working with restricted budgets, and share the organizers' conviction that " de-funding and hiring freezes in the sciences are against any country's best interests ." For these reasons, we fully support the initiative of this public-spirited march for the sciences. Jean Chambaz, President of CURIF (Coordination of French Research-Intensive Universities) - Alain Fuchs, President of CNRS - Yves Lévy, CEO of INSERM - Philippe Mauguin, President of INRA - Antoine Petit, Managing Director of INRIA - Daniel Verwaerde, Chairman of the CEA