Aiming at interdisciplinarity ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Gender); and Nanosciences (G3N). Not to mention the Mediterranean Integrated STudies at Regional And Local Scales (MISTRALS) interdisciplinary program, of particular significance, as Joël Bertrand points out: “Its purpose is to study all aspects of the Mediterranean: biodiversity, the atmosphere, human migrations, etc. It encompasses 23 bordering countries. By its scope, the wealth of subject areas studied, and the large number of parties involved, the project embodies our approach, just like the NEEDS Challenge.” As for PEPS, they are annual calls for tender concerning more flexible, higher-risk projects that necessarily involve the convergence of themes such as “the accumulation of environmental, social, and natural risks”, or the emergence of new scientific combinations such as Biology-Mathematics Information Science. They have a shorter lifespan – between one and two years – and their scope varies. Many PEPS were launched in 2012 and several will continue in various formats in 2013: Biology Mathematics Information technology (BMI), Therapeutic Innovations, Law-Economics-Environment-Biodiversity (DEEB), Theoretical Physics and its Interactions (PTI), etc. The budget earmarked for these programs amounts to €0.6 million. Fitted with sensors to evaluate stability, this stick was developed as part of the DEFISENS project. Finally, interdisciplinary work often drives re-structuring, especially at the regional level, where site policies bring together several institutions. As a preferred partner, CNRS often helps local organizations to set up these interdisciplinary projects. “We tailor our actions to each site, based on discussions with our partners,” says Anne Renault – yet another example of the wealth and variety of CNRS activities. 13 DEFISENS: assisting people with disabilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another milestone in 2012 was the launch of DEFISENS, a program designed to mobilize the scientific community around a key social issue: permanent or temporary disability. More than 300 researchers were invited to participate in nine workshops organized over twelve months. Projects were selected using a “top-down” approach by CNRS Institute directors, as well as a “bottom-up” approach encompassing researchers’ recommendations. The workshops helped define the guidelines for future projects. Four main areas of investigation emerged: Encoding – from perception to action – linked to organic functions and anatomic structures. Plasticity in response to the body’s constant adaptation to pressure. The positive and negative constraints that regulate plasticity and are related to environmental and social factors. Resources – both those derived from perception and those able to correct the perception deficit – that may be linked to personal factors. Eleven projects were selected in 2012, including studies on cutaneous perception deficit associated with musculoskeletal conditions, surface simulation using a tactile effector, the stimulation of locomotion in premature babies at birth, and acute vision in patients with retina implants. Ten new projects scheduled for 2013 will further enlarge existing consortia. 2012 A year at CNRS
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