Research and innovation
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D
6th in the world
and 2nd in Europe
In 2019, France spent $73 billion on domestic R&D
OECD, 2021
R&D investment projects in France
155 investments
identified in the R&D and engineering sectors in 2021
10%
of all projects
Business France, Annual Report
Foreign investment in France, March 2022
#1 leading recipient in Europe
for inward R&D investments
EY, 2021
France's national scientific research center (CNRS)
In 2022, the world’s #1 research organization most innovative
Clarivate Analytics, 2022
R&D personnel in France
10.6 researchers for every
1,000 employees
in 2019
Germany 10.3
United Kingdom 9.3
United States 9.5
OECD, 2021
Patents
#2 in Europe
for the number of patent applications filed in 2021
WIPO, 2022
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Emmanuelle Charpentier
The French geneticist and microbiologist and Jennifer Doudna, her American counterpart, honored for the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
1st time that a Nobel Prize in the field of Science has been awarded to a wholly female duo.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2020
Nobel Prize in Economics
Esther Duflo
The first Frenchwoman and the youngest ever person to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019 for her experimental work on global poverty reduction
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2019
Fields Medals
13 out of 64 medals
equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics
Hugo Duminil-Copin 2022, Cédric Villani (2010), Wendelin Werner (2006), Laurent Lafforgue (2002),…
International Mathematical Union, 2022
France ranked #1 in Europe
in the Top 100 Global Innovators
- Six French companies: Airbus, Alstom, Michelin, Safran, Thales, Valeo
- One R&D center: CEA
Top 100 Global Innovators, Clarivate Analytics, 2022
For 84% of foreign executives,
the French ecosystem fosters innovation
Kantar Public, 2020
France’s research tax credit (CIR)
The most attractive R&D tax incentive program in Europe
France’s research tax credit is a tax-incentive scheme to support research hat is open to companies of any size and from any sector
OECD, 2021
58% of businesses in France are innovative
Eurostat, 2019
46% of jobs in France in knowledge-intensive services in 2018
40% among the EU-28
Eurostat, 2019