ANR provides funding for project-based research in all fields of science - for both basic and applied research - to public research organisations and universities, as well as to private companies (including SMEs).
Employing a method based on competitive peer reviews compliant with international standards, ANR provides the scientific community with instruments and programmes promoting creativity and openness, and stimulate new ideas and partnerships, particularly between academia and industry. Its activity also contributes to enhancing the competitiveness and the influence of French research in Europe and across the world.
Since 2010, ANR has also been the lead manager of the Investments for the Future programme in the field of higher education and research, in charge of project selection, funding and monitoring.
A public body under the authority of the Ministry of research, ANR was created in two phases:
- February 2005 as a public interest grouping
- January 2007 as a public administrative institution further to the decree of August 1, 2006
The Decree of March 24, 2014 sets out the agency’s missions and introduces a new governance model.
ANR's activities aim at:
- Developing science and technology
- Rallying teams around societal and S&T challenges
- Speeding up knowledge creation and transfer, and fostering academic-industry partnerships
- Promoting collaborative work and interdisciplinary dialogue
- Preparing a new generation of talents
- Facilitating European and international collaborations
The main challenges the ANR works on are part of the European Strategic Agenda. ANR has designed and deployed a range of funding instruments to satisfy both the project-based funding needs of the research communities and the public policy for research and innovation in France.
Competitive, project-based research funding
Each year more than 8,000 peer reviewers assist ANR by providing expertise. The agency is very grateful to them for the work they accomplish and their assistance in guaranteeing the selection of projects of a very high standard.
The ANR teams finance, monitor and assist these projects. ANR prioritises the quality of service delivered to the scientists, speed of response, procedural simplification and constant adaptation to new challenges.
