Decision support
07 juillet 2026
In a strategic environment marked by accelerating transitions—climate, digital, geopolitical—public decision making can no longer rely on intuition or short-term logic. It requires knowledge that is solid, multidisciplinary, and operational.
The CNRS puts its capacity for expertise at the service of ministries, local governments, and national and European agencies. Its role is to elucidate structural choices by providing a consolidated and independent state of the knowledge.
A strategic partner for decision makers
Collective expert reviews, impact analyses, direct dialogue with research: the CNRS proposes a range of integrated offerings for decision support and public debate.
In a context of growing uncertainty, the ability to rely on consolidated scientific consensus represents a competitive advantage for public action. The CNRS Public Affairs Department identifies relevant expert reviews, helps establish contact with scientists, and facilitates direct and structured dialogue with research in an effort to elucidate your decisions.
Contact: cnrs-affaires.publiques@cnrs.fr
“A step ahead”: bringing science and decision making closer together
The CNRS offers a programme specifically designed for public and private decision makers: A Step Ahead. The programme includes:
- Visits to laboratories and research infrastructure
- Direct exchange with scientists
- Collective brainstorming sessions on economic, technological, and environmental transformations
The programme’s aim is to develop a shared scientific culture, expand recourse to science in decision making, and promote approaches that anticipate on-going transformations.
Vidéo Un temps d'avance
Partager
Audiodescription
Elucidating decision making via collective scientific expert reviews
The CNRS mobilises groups of researchers from complementary disciplines to produce critical analyses of major societal issues.
These collective expert reviews:
- Provide an overview of the scientific consensus
- Identify uncertainties and controversies
- Propose pathways for evolution and levers for action
They can be initiated by the CNRS, or completed at the request of public authorities. Recent efforts have notably focused on the responsible use of rare-earth elements, and the impact of marine wind power.
The goal is to safeguard public decision making by providing it with a strong and shared scientific basis.
Learn more about collective scientific expert reviews
Contact: mpes@cnrs.fr
Measuring and documenting research impact
Launched in 2025, CNRS impact studies analyse the social, cultural, economic, environmental, and political impact of scientific research.
Thanks to an internationally recognized methodology that traces the “impact pathway” of research, from knowledge production to concrete effect on public policy, territories, and industrial sectors.
This approach enables decision makers to:
- Identify the tangible benefits of research
- Anticipate future transformations
- Objectively view strategic decisions
Développer une vision prospective
Pilotée par le CNRS, l'agence "Climat, biodiversité et sociétés durables" traite des sujets de l'habitabilité de la planète et de la durabilité des sociétés dans le contexte du changement climatique et de la crise de la biodiversité à l'échelle mondiale.
Elle a pour missions de développer une vision prospective dans son domaine en considérant les différents enjeux de manière systémique et de définir des priorités qui s'appuient à la fois sur les besoins exprimés par l’État et sur les fronts de science identifiés par la communauté scientifique. Elle coordonne l’ensemble des acteurs de la thématique, tant académiques que dans la société civile, afin d'appuyer, par les résultats de la recherche, l'action publique dans son domaine.
En savoir plus sur l'agence "Climat, biodiversité et sociétés durables"
Training the government in the ecological transition
At the behest of the French government, the CNRS coordinated a significant portion of training in the environmental transition for public staff members—an unprecedented approach on the international level.
Between late 2023 and late 2024:
- Over 15,000 civil servants were trained
- Nearly 200 conference-debates were held
- 125 visits on the ground were organised
- Over 1,000 scientists were mobilised
This programme provides a shared knowledge base on climate change, biodiversity erosion, resource scarcity, and available levers for action.
This initiative has made France the leading country for training its public staff members in these structural issues, doing so by directly involving the scientific community.
Anticipating European decisions
The CNRS Brussels office serves as a strategic liaison between the organisation’s scientific priorities and the European agenda. It analyses changes to EU policies and programmes, identifies opportunities and areas of focus for research, and provides perspective for scientific issues in the service of public decision making. By facilitating access to CNRS expertise and fostering dialogue with European institutions, it helps shed light on policies and negotiations pertaining to key, high-impact topics.
Photo credit: © Cyril FRESILLON / PEPSEA / CNRS Images
