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Against the ZRR and its world: a plea for open research

We call for the non-renewal of the ZRR at the Néel Institute and the end of the status at the national level

For around ten years, we have observed a worrying development in higher education and research of Restricted Regime Zones (ZRR). This status, which is intended to prevent foreign interference in areas of research identified by the state as strategic, results in strict control of authorized personnel and research activities. In practice, a security services agent, the Defense Security Officer (FSD), receives a complete curriculum  on each person soon to be employed and decides whether or not to grant authorization. The motivation of this decision is kept secret, there is no appeal procedure and it is completely independent of the recruitment process itself. It is breathtakingly slow (taking around two months from the hiring decision) and the authorization granted can be revoked at any time. The FSD can also prohibit scientific publications, scientific collaborations, participation in conferences, etc.

There are many negative consequences:

• A crippling bureaucratic burden, for the research work, the recruiter, as well as for the person being recruited, who will have to wait an additional two months.
• Circumvention of statutory protections: even a permanent civil servant can have their access authorization revoked overnight and without explanations.
• Discrimination against politically engaged individuals: a recent high-profile case involved a French environmental activist whose career was cut short by an FSD decision.
• An open door to discriminatory abuses: refusing to hire someone based on their nationality opens the door to dangerous abuses. Indeed, we note a discrepancy between the justification of these measures on strategic grounds vis-à-vis Russia or China and the observation that the most numerous cases of refusal in our laboratory concern people of African origin. This raises questions about the motivation behind these refusals.
• All this discrimination is obviously accompanied by self-censorship: we would rather recruit a French national with a profile that is not well suited to the position than a suitable candidate with a sensitive nationality who could be refused.

We are not the first to criticize this system. In fact, since its inception, it seems to have been unanimously opposed across party lines: unions, scientific societies, sections of the National Council of Universities, deputies, senators, etc. It is impossible to find any support for this system, which appears to be unique in the world in its terms and conditions. Despite this, it continues to grow stronger, with, for example, a new decree tightening its rules in 2024, and the pace of creation of these ZRRs is increasing. The social sciences, initially excluded, have recently been integrated into this system.

We would like to reiterate:

• that public research must be open. The very nature of our profession is to disseminate our knowledge to as many people as possible, and the imperatives of open science are in clear contradiction with those of the ZRR.
• that personal opinions should not be included in the recruitment criteria for higher education and research.
• that refusals based on identity cards are discriminatory, regardless of the geopolitical context.

We believe that it is impossible to comply with any of these points within the framework of the ZRR. Consequently, in view of the upcoming renewal of the ZRR at the Néel Institute this year, we request the system not to be renewed and that this action should be extended to the national level for fundamental research. The public research we want is open, collaborative, international, and inclusive, and it is not possible for us to continue to allow ourselves to be dictated to by a system that has no democratic legitimacy. This is also a call to all employees of all ZRRs to take a stand against this undignified status, so that together we can build a public research system that makes us proud.

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