Charter on Openness to Society: ANSES, BRGM, the National Cancer Institute, Ifremer, Ineris, INRAE, Gustave Eiffel University and Santé publique France reaffirm their commitment
Our contemporary world is characterised by rapid and profound transformations, due in particular to climate change, multiple sources of pollution, biodiversity loss and sovereignty issues. In the face of these challenges and the concerns they raise, scientific excellence is no longer enough. Society’s trust in research and scientific expertise requires strengthened long-term dialogue.
The Charter on Openness to Society, launched by several public establishments in 2008 and subsequently joined by new members in 2020, now welcomes another signatory in 2026: the National Cancer Institute (INCa).
"Cancer research must continue its efforts to better understand the risks and address the public’s growing concerns. By joining this network, the Institute reaffirms its commitment to open science and greater dialogue between research and society, as well as its support for participatory research initiatives in line with the ten-year Cancer Prevention Strategy."
Nicolas Scotté, Director General of INCa
Our eight establishments have the same public service responsibilities and strict requirements regarding expertise, sharing and impartiality. By signing this charter, they have undertaken to sustain their process of openness over the long term and enhance their work through greater dialogue with society, based on three commitments:
- Assist society players with skills development;
- Share the available scientific knowledge;
- Increase the transparency of their work.
To achieve this, each organisation undertakes to deploy long-term dialogue strategies in pursuit of three shared objectives:
- Strengthen the ability of staff and students to engage with society;
- Identify and deploy the resources to enable society's involvement;
- Develop management tools and report publicly on the approach.
The signatory members will therefore share their good practices and feedback, and harmonise their actions towards a single goal: to increase the quality of their contributions to public policy-making and society.
They will also continue their efforts to raise awareness about their initiatives and results among decision-makers and the public.
The ASNR, a partner in the charter
Continuing on from the commitments made by the IRSN under the Charter on Openness to Society, the French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ASNR) has adopted these principles, adapting them to its specific circumstances, while not formally signing the charter as the other organisations have done, due to its status as an independent administrative authority (AAI). This will be included in the roadmap for dialogue with civil society that the ASNR will soon be presenting to the HCTISN and the OPECST. The ASNR will continue to engage with the signatories of the Charter on Openness to Society regarding methods, practices and innovations in the field of participatory engineering, and to implement future joint actions.