The French government has proposed a 2% increase its higher education and research budget for 2019, which would total €25.1 billion ($29 billion) not accounting for inflation. Of this figure, €8.8 billion ($10.34 billion) will be set aside for research and innovation, a 4% jump, including a 2% rise, €6.9 billion ($8.1 billion), for basic science. Approximately €6.0 billion ($7.1 billion) of the total budget will be allocated to France’s public research agencies, including the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the French National Research Agency (ANR), although the details of each allocation are not yet clear.

If the proposal is approved, the research ministry’s budget will have risen 5.3% over the past two years, while the funds for basic research and the ANR will  jump 8.0% and 9.3%, respectively. The research ministry manages the vast majority of the country’s public expenditures on higher education and research, although the ministries of economy and finance, ecology transition, agriculture and food, and defense and culture also receive funds for carrying out research. In 2019, these funds will total approximately €2.8 billion ($3.3 billion).

Despite the proposed increases, innovation spending is a major concern for scientists and economic leaders in the country. It is difficult to determine if innovation spending has increased, as it is handled by multiple ministries and supported indirectly by tax breaks. The latest budget proposals include €386 million ($453.7 million) investments in direct subsidies for companies accelerating innovation, as well as €250 million for startups from the Innovation and Industry Fund, which was established at the beginning of 2018. A new AI program will also obtain €17 million ($20 million) from the research ministry budget, and an additional €12 million ($14.1 million) under the Prime Minister’s Investments for the Future initiative, which usually provides funds for higher education and developing applications from research data.

Source: Nature