Online registration is open from Monday December 5, 2022 at 1 p.m. to Thursday January 5, 2023 at 1 p.m.

Pour toute question : vous pouvez contacter l’assistance via le formulaire en ligne.

Examination timetable

December-January: posting of offers and online registration.
February to May: eligibility phase (review of application files and interviews; not all candidates for research professor exams are called for interviews).
May to July: admission phase (admission panel)
October 1: selection and assumption of duties (which can be delayed to the 1st of the following month, up to February 1 N+1) 
 

The competitive entrance examinations are organised by scientific discipline or group of disciplines. For some exams the scientific topics to be covered are announced. The exams can be associated with one or more CNRS scientific institute(s), depending on the disciplinary or interdisciplinary nature of the topics. There is no limit to the number of applications for a given campaign. You can apply to several different exams, but it is recommended that you choose those that correspond most closely to your qualifications, work and research goals.

Unlike most recruitment examinations, the researcher exams are open to candidates of all nationalities. Each year, nearly one-third of the candidates hired by the CNRS are from countries other than France (including some 90 different nationalities).
There is no limit on the number of candidates, and no age limit for application, provided that the candidate has not yet reached retirement age.
All candidates must strictly comply with the deadline date and time, which are defined by regulations. All modifications of your application file and the submission of additional material (publications, theses) by post must be completed before the registration deadline.

After the registration deadline:

application files can no longer be modified,
no further applications can be accepted,
no additional materials can be submitted.

In the Candidate’s Guide you can find all the pertinent specifications and recommendations for preparing for your examination.
 

The competitive entrance examinations are carried out in two phases: the eligibility phase and the admission phase.
Each phase has its own review panels and rules of organisation.

Eligibility

For the regular researcher examinations, during this phase the panels review the applications and preselect the eligible candidates. They then interview the preselected candidates and finalise the list of those declared eligible for each examination.

For the research professor examinations, the panels evaluate the candidates’ scientific qualifications based on the application files. This evaluation can be accompanied by interviews of the candidates. In that case, the panels carry out a preselection of the candidates to be interviewed. After the interviews, the eligibility panels finalise the list of eligible candidates.

Admission

During the admission phase, the admission panels evaluate the applications of the eligible candidates. At the end of this phase, the admission panels finalise the lists of candidates who have been accepted, and if needed additional lists of alternates.
 

Members of the eligibility panels

An eligibility panel is formed for each examination, drawing members from the appropriate section or interdisciplinary commission of the National Committee. If needed for the scientific evaluation of the candidates’ work, the eligibility panel for each examination can also include one or two members from another section of the National Committee.
For the purpose of conducting interviews, the panels can be divided as needed into “panel sections”, depending on the number of candidates or the multiplicity of their fields of scientific activity.

Members of the admission panels

For the regular researcher examinations, an admission panel is formed, drawing members from one of the institutes whose activities concern the section corresponding to the discipline(s) of the available positions. Each panel comprises:
the institute director or his/her representative, chairman;
five members appointed by the Minister of Research upon nomination by the chairman;
five members appointed by the Minister of Research after consultation with the institute’s Scientific Board, drawn from members of the sections of the National Committee for Scientific Research holding ranks equal to or higher than the available positions.

For these ten members, at least five must be CNRS researchers, including at least two chosen from among members elected to the National Committee for Scientific Research.

For the regular researcher examinations offered in the Interdisciplinary Commissions, a single admission panel is formed. It comprises:

the CNRS Chairman and CEO, chairman;
ten members appointed by the Minister of Research upon nomination by the chairman;
ten members appointed by the Minister of Research after consultation with the institutes’ Scientific Boards, drawn from members of the sections of the National Committee for Scientific Research holding ranks equal to or higher than the available positions. Among them, at least five must be CNRS researchers, including at least two chosen from among members elected to the National Committee for Scientific Research.

For the research professor examinations, there is a single admission panel common to all CNRS institutes. Chaired by the CNRS Chairman and CEO, it includes the institutes’ directors and prominent figures in the scientific community. 

After the admission panels are finalised, the lists of their members are posted on this page.

All candidates will be individually notified of the results. During the examination process, you can view the following results below:

• Approved to participate in an examination (after verification of the application files)
• Approved to continue (after evaluation of the applications for examinations whose eligibility requires an interview)
• Eligible (after the interview or directly after evaluation of the applications with no interview)
• Accepted (after deliberation of the admission panel)

Photo credits: CNRS Images photo library, Adobe Stock.