The largest scientific research organisation in Europe has established its Oceania office in Melbourne, an acknowledgement of the state's outstanding industry, research and higher education capabilities.
Minister for Economic Development Tim Pallas confirmed the opening of the new Oceania Representative Office of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS - French National Centre for Scientific Research) in Parkville - Australia's world-renowned research hub.
The strategic investment will foster international collaboration and partnerships with universities and research centres in fields extending to energy, hydrogen, artificial intelligence, engineering, environment biosciences, astronomy, climate and oceans.
CNRS chose Melbourne for its renowned R&D capabilities with demonstrated commercial impact and dynamic multi-sector research ecosystem. The Oceania office will be headed by volcanologist Dr Jean-Paul Toutain.
Headquartered in Paris, CNRS has 32,000 researchers, engineers, technicians and administrative staff working across more than 1,000 laboratories. It collaborates with the best research centres and universities across the world and has been awarded 21 Nobel Prizes and 12 Fields Medals.
In 2021, Scimago Institutions Rankings ranked CNRS as the second most important global research institution in terms of scientific publications. In 2020, CNRS produced just under 1,800 co-publications and about half of them were Franco-Australian co-productions - making Australia the leading international academic partner of CNRS.
The Andrews Labor Government's International Investment Strategy is attracting global organisations from growth industries crucial to securing the skills, capabilities and technology that will support partnerships to drive long-term growth in the Victorian economy.
Victoria is home to more than 76,000 highly skilled researchers and related staff creating world-class R&D advancements in biomedical engineering, neurosciences, condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, immunology, architecture, economics, psychology, astronomical and space sciences.
As stated by Minister for Economic Development Tim Pallas
"Victoria develops partnerships that deliver world class research for the world - the arrival of CNRS is another example of that forward thinking."
"From immunology to climate change, we are building tremendous capabilities in vital fields - and it's producing results that shape and change lives."
As stated by French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) Chairman Antoine Petit
"The new representative office in Melbourne will give CNRS the opportunity to further advance our scientific partnerships with Oceania, and more specifically with Australia which is a global leader in scientific research."
