French National Centre for Scientific Research

Centre national de la recherche scientifique
Formation19 October 1939 (1939-10-19)
TypeGovernmental organisation
PurposeFundamental research
HeadquartersCampus Gérard Mégie, 16th arrondissement of Paris
Official language
French
President
Antoine Petit
Main organ
Comité national de la recherche scientifique
Budget€3.8 billion (2021)
Staff33,000 (2021)
Websitewww.cnrs.fr

The French National Centre for Scientific Research (French: Centre national de la recherche scientifique, pronounced [sɑ̃tʁ nɑsjɔnal la ʁəʃɛʁʃ sjɑ̃tifik], CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.

In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 engineers and technical staff, and 7,085 contractual workers. It is headquartered in Paris and has administrative offices in Brussels, Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Washington, D.C., Bonn, Moscow, Tunis, Johannesburg, Santiago de Chile, Israel, and New Delhi.