A meeting of exploration and evaluation: the IRL-CRM and France-Québec cooperation in the mathematical sciences

February 27 and 28, 2024

To mark the renewal of the agreement between the CNRS and the Université de Montréal, which has been ongoing since 2012, the IRL CRM-CNRS and the CRM organized a two-day meeting centered around the relationship between mathematics researchers working in France and those working in Quebec, highlighting the exchanges between them.

The first day (February 27) was a more institutional day: it began with a presentation by their respective directors of the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) and the International Research Laboratory (IRL), which used to be known as the Unité Mixte Internationale (UMI) until 2021. Then, all the researchers from France assigned to the IRL presented a summary of their research work, from didactics to geometric group theory, from the application of probability to number theory, from the analysis of biological signals to symplectic geometry, demonstrating the diversity of possible CNRS interactions.

In the afternoon, representatives of all the CRM’s partner institutions (university vice-rectors, the FRQNT representative, the CNRSG representative and CNRS representatives) debated during a panel discussion on the need to maintain mathematics in a world where artificial intelligence should be able to solve everything. Many arguments underlining the importance and continuing role of mathematics were put forward by all present.

The late afternoon was mostly devoted to short research talks by the recipients of the FRQ-funded Quebec-France mobility program, a “mirror” fund which, since its renewal in 2022, has been used by students and established researchers for research visits or to attend conferences in France.

On the morning of Wednesday February 28, former members of the CNRS laboratory also gave 10-minute scientific presentations, most of them remotely. Some colleagues from Quebec gave more details on the use of other funds awarded by France (“postes rouges”, Agence Nationale de la Recherche projects), while one of the speakers from France was visiting Quebec thanks to the Simons-CRM Scholars in Residence Program, showing the diversity of sources for supporting interactions.

All participants during these two days, which were also marked by conviviality (lunch and coffee breaks), emphasized their interest in taking part in these activities. Thanks to this meeting, they were able to realize the wealth of possibilities for exchange.

Consult the schedule and list of participants here.