Updated on: 2020-05-25
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| Q1A. What arrangements, if any, do you have in place to ensure scientific advice informs national policy and decision making in relation to Covid-19? | The Covid-19 scientific council was established on March 11, 2020 by Olivier Véran, French Minister of Solidarity and Health, "to inform public decision in the management of the health situation linked to the coronavirus". Chaired by Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, this committee has ten other experts who come from complementary disciplinary fields. https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/actual... https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conseil_sc... The Research Analysis and Expertise Committee (CARE) was installed by the President of the Republic on March 24. The mission of this committee is to advise the government on programs and doctrine relating to coronavirus treatments and tests. He will also look into backtracking practices that identify people in contact with those infected with the Covid-19 virus. This committee brings together 12 researchers and physicians, and is chaired by Francoise Barré-Sanoussi, virologist at the Pasteur / Inserm Institute, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for the discovery of the AIDS virus. https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/20... Additional information: In June 2013, under the aegis of the Alliance for Life Sciences and Health,* France launched a consortium called REACTing: REsearch and ACTion targeting emerging infectious diseases. This consortium is organized around a steering committee of 15 human and animal health specialists; it is supported by an 8-member scientific committee and methodological centers. REACTing does not target any particular disease, and can intervene in all infectious emergencies. Its field of action is wide, from basic research to the humanities and social sciences, including the environmental sciences, epidemiology and public health. The approach is transversal and multidisciplinary, because health crises are always complex phenomena in their causes as in their effects. REACTing has multiple objectives: • Improve the preparation of research in times of inter-crisis (peacetime): governance, preparation of research tools, identification of research priorities, search for funding, and preparation of the ethical and legal aspects essential for anticipation research projects to be built in an emergency. • Coordinate, finance and set up research projects in times of epidemic crisis: coordination, scientific and strategic priorities, methodological assistance, information for authorities and the general public. • Help with public decision-making and reaffirm the place of research in the response to health problems, alongside aspects of care, logistics, security and geopolitics. See: https://aviesan.fr/aviesan/accueil/toute... *Aviesan is composed of 9 essential academic players, founding members of Aviesan: the CEA, the CNRS, INRAE, INRIA, INSERM, the Institut Pasteur, the IRD, the conference of university presidents (CPU) and the Conference of Directors General of Regional and University Hospitals. |
| Q1B. In what ways, if any, are you coordinating on Covid-19 STI responses at international level? | Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R) is a collaboration of international research funders that strives for a rapid and effective research response in case of a new or re-emerging infectious disease outbreak. France is participating in particular with Professor Yazdan Yazdanpanah, Head, Infectious Disease Department, Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, Head, INSERM team on decision analysis in infectious diseases, Professor of Medicine, Paris Diderot University, France, also participating in working parties of World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.glopid-r.org https://www.who.int The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is an innovative global partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations. We're working together to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and enable equitable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks. France has not been a member of this partnership so far, but some French projects have already been funded in this context. https://cepi.net |
| Q2.Do you have dedicated arrangements in place for communicating science advice and for refuting misleading information to the public on Covid-19? | A dedicated governmental website was quickly set up, allowing sharing of updated information. https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronav... The French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation will soon put online (to date, March 26) a dedicated website to the latest information, including an anti fake news component. The ministry also supports the creation of quality documentaries dedicated to the coronavirus. |
| Q3. What new STI policy measures, if any, is your country taking to respond specifically to the Covid-19 crisis? | The Minister of Research, Frédérique Vidal, announced on 19th March the creation of an emergency fund of 50 million euros for French public research engaged on the front line against the COVID-19 epidemic. This is in addition to the € 8 million already made available and will guarantee that all the promising lines of research that emerge can be financed without delay, whether it be research on clinical trials or vaccine research. The National Research Agency (ANR) launched a “Flash call” on this subject, the closing date for the submission of projects was 23 March. https://anr.fr/fr/detail/call/appel-a -projects-flash-covid-19 The hospital clinical research program (PHRC) of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health covers the field of clinical research which aims to assess the safety, tolerance, feasibility or effectiveness of health technologies. https://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/system... The Defense Innovation Agency (AID) launched a dedicated call, as part of the government's plan to fight COVID-19. It relates to the search for innovative solutions, whether technological, organizational, managerial or adapting industrial processes, which could be directly mobilized in order to: protect the population, support patient care, test the population, monitoring the evolution of the disease at the individual level and the evolution of the pandemic, or helping to limit constraints during the crisis period. https://www.defense.gouv.fr/aid/appels-a... The “Structuring Projects for Competitiveness” (PSPC) action of the Investments for the Future Program (PIA) is open to companies of all sizes and from all economic sectors, and involves structured collaboration between economic and academic players. This action is coordinated by BPI France. A PSPC project dedicated to Covid-19 is under consideration (to date, March 26). https://www.bpifrance.fr/Qui-sommes-nous... French research is also mobilized at European level with the participation to the RECOVER (Rapid European COVID-19 Emergency Response) project. This research project funded by the European Commission involves 10 international partners and includes several components including epidemiological studies, clinical studies, and studies in the social sciences. France is also participating in the Fight-nCoV (Fighting-Off Coronavirus (Sars-Cov-2) With Broad-Spectrum Antivirals: Establishing Animal Viral Challenge Model), I-MOVE-COVID-19 (Multidisciplinary European network for research) research projects. , prevention and control of the COVID-19 Pandemic) and CoNVat (Combating 2019-nCoV: Advanced Nanobiosensing platforms for POC global diagnostics and surveillance). https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.go... |
| Q4A. At national level, what mechanisms are you developing or relying upon to bring together different STI actors (researchers, industry, government, health sector, foundations, etc.) to effectively collaborate on responses to Covid-19? | Public-private initiatives have been initiated. For example: The Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP) and Sanofi are joining forces to accelerate clinical research in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. https://www.sanofi.fr/fr/Actualites/comm... |
| Q4B. At international level, what mechanisms are you developing or relying upon to bring together different STI actors (researchers, industry, government, health sector, foundations, etc.) to effectively collaborate on responses to Covid-19? | The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a partnership between the European Union (represented by the European Commission) and the European pharmaceutical industry (represented by EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations). The IMI2 programme, with €3.3 billion budget for the period 2014-2020, allows to improve health by speeding up the development of, and patient access to, innovative medicines, particularly in areas where there is an unmet medical or social need, by facilitating collaboration between the key players involved in health research, including universities, research centres, the pharmaceutical and other industries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), patient organisations, and medicines regulators. https://www.imi.europa.eu IMI launched a € 45 million Call on coronavirus with a deadline of 31 March – a fast-track, single stage Call for proposals to address the development of therapeutics and diagnostics to tackle current and future coronavirus outbreaks. See https://www.imi.europa.eu/apply-funding/... The European Commission has also launched a specific call for startups and SMEs with innovative solutions to tackle Coronavirus outbreak. https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/startups-... |
| Q5. What novel approaches, if any, is your country using to address the coronavirus crisis (e.g. use of machine learning, open science initiatives boosting access and sharing of data and research results, development and use of prediction models, etc.)? | The Research Analysis and Expertise Committee (CARE) (see Q1.) Is setting up an idea box, in digital format, to be deployed very quickly across the entire research community (to date, March 26). |
| Q6A. What impact on the STI system do you anticipate in the short-, medium- and long-term, and what measures are you implementing to address those? | Among the possible impacts on the national STI system, a tightening of the open science policy could be considered, in particular with regard to data. Also, questions about national independence (capacity to carry out tests for example) could change the national STI system. An assistance plan for doctoral and post-doctoral students is currently under consideration (to date, March 26). |
| Q6B. Is support of the STI system part of planned stimulus packages aimed at supporting the economy? | The “Structuring Projects for Competitiveness” (PSPC) action of the Investments for the Future Investment Program (PIA) is open to companies of all sizes and from all economic sectors, and involves structured collaboration between economic and academic players. This action is coordinated by BPI France. A PSPC project dedicated to Covid-19 is under consideration (to date, March 26). https://www.bpifrance.fr/Qui-sommes-nous... |
| Q7. Is there anything else regarding the STI policy response to Covid-19 in your country you would like to mention? | The ministry has developed files as part of the educational continuity plan in order to best support institutions in their efforts. These sheets are available on the services offered by the General Directorate of Higher Education and Professional Integration (D.G.E.S.I.P.). See: https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.go... https://services.dgesip.fr/T712/covid_19... For education, the Minister of National Education and Youth, Jean-Michel Blanquer, in partnership with the players in the public audiovisual sector, launched the “Learning Nation” operation. France Télévisions, Radio France, Arte and the French national education are mobilizing to provide teachers, students from their families with quality programs linked to school programs. See: https://www.education.gouv.fr/operation-... France université numérique (FUN) is the French national platform to promote the use of massive open online courses (MOOCs). In the context of the exceptional situation, France Université Numérique in collaboration with member and partner establishments will gradually reopen the archived MOOCs to make them accessible to as many people as possible. See: https://www.fun-mooc.fr/news/fun-ouvre-s... The EdTech France association brings together 250 French companies that have decided to make technology useful for education, higher education and lifelong learning. Companies in the EdTech sector have decided to make digital resources and tools available to establishments, teachers, families and all learners - free of charge and without conditions. See: https://solidarite.edtechfrance.fr |