CNRS

CNRS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research) is a government-funded research organization, under the administrative authority of France's Ministry of Research. As the largest fundamental research organization in Europe, CNRS carried out research in all fields of knowledge, through its seven institutes: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Ecology and Environment, Humanities and Social Sciences, Information Sciences and Technologies, Engineering and Systems Sciences, Physics, and three national institutes: National Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INSMI), National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IN2P3), National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy (INSU). CNRS laboratories (or research units) are located throughout France, and employ a large body of tenured researchers, engineers, and support staff.