Skip to content

Institute of Public Policies

Home » Projects » Firms » The impact of CIFRE theses on corporate R&D, the employment of PhD graduates and public-private research partnerships

The impact of CIFRE theses on corporate R&D, the employment of PhD graduates and public-private research partnerships

Project Status Completed

Context

CIFRE theses are part of the Industrial Training through Research scheme. What are the effects of an unconventional innovation policy that provides grants to firms to integrate a PhD student into their R&D activities, thereby bridging the gap between public and private research?

Presentation

The project aims to measure the programme’s impact on the three types of organisations taking part:

  • PhD students, by comparing the salary trajectories of individuals who obtained a PhD through a CIFRE scheme with those of other R&D engineers in their company.
  • Innovative companies using the programme, by comparing the annual changes in relevant variables – such as the number of patent applications or value added – following a company’s entry into the programme, with changes in these same variables within a group of firms not using the programme.
  • Public research laboratories hosting CIFRE PhD students, by studying changes in the focus of their research and potentially greater technology transfers towards private-sector research and innovation.
    The project also aims to understand whether these fixed-term agreements lead to lasting collaborations and joint projects between participating companies and laboratories.

Research Team

This project is led by the pole Firms.
Arthur Guillouzouic
Arthur Guillouzouic
Clément Malgouyres
Clément Malgouyres

Partners

Direction générale des entreprises (DGE)
Last modified: July 20, 2026