Ministry of Higher Education and Research (France)
| Minister of Higher Education and Research and Space of Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Space | |
|---|---|
| Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche et de l'Espace | |
since 23 December 2024 | |
| Ministry of Higher Education and Research | |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Reports to | President of the Republic Prime Minister |
| Residence | Pavillon Boncourt |
| Seat | 21 rue Descartes, 75005 Paris |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Prime Minister |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 1936 |
| First holder | Irène Joliot-Curie |
| Website | https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr |
The Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Space (French: ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche et de l'Espace, or MESRE), formerly associated with the portfolio of Innovation, Technical Progress, and Atomic and Space Affairs, is the cabinet member in the Government of France responsible for implementing the Government's policy in the fields of research and technology, access to and development of higher education, regulation of access to higher education, and vocational training. It also coordinates the promotion of science and technology, as well as the dissemination of scientific, technological, and industrial culture.
The development of scientific research holds a central place in the French Government's policy: the Fourth Plan (1962–1965) marked the “official recognition of the importance of Research at the top of the hierarchy of factors governing the Nation’s development.” The Ministry is responsible for implementing the Research Programming Act.
The Ministry was established in 1936 under the name Sub-secretariat for Scientific Research, first entrusted to Irène Joliot-Curie and then to Jean Perrin within the Socialist Front Populaire government, but it was dissolved in June 1937. Two years later, the government founded the National Council for Scientific Research, dedicated to the encouragement and promotion of scientific research.
The Ministry was re-established in 1954 under the cabinet of Pierre Mendès-France, focusing on technical progress. It was later associated with Atomic Energy under Charles de Gaulle, with Industry under Presidents Pompidou and Mitterrand, and with National Education from 1993 onwards.
The Ministry of Research was responsible for the development of the Commissariat for Atomic Energy (1945), the implementation of the Plan Calcul (1963), the Ariane space exploration programme (1973), and the Research Programming Act (2021).
Since 23 December 2024, the Minister for Higher Education and Research is Philippe Baptiste, former president of the National Centre for Space Studies (Centre national d’études spatiales), serving in the Bayrou government.