The Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (Foundation for Strategic Research, FRS), a non-profit organization, is the main French center of expertise on international security and defense issues.

Xavier Pasco, Director

The Foundation

Established in 1992, FRS is an independent, non-profit organisation recognized in France as a « public utility foundation » (Decree of 26 February 1993). It employs 32 persons.

Its missions are to analyze strategic and international security issues, notably military and defense-related issues, and to contribute to the strategic debate in France as well as to the diffusion of French ideas abroad.

It is the only major independent French think-tanks to work exclusively on these questions.

Its experts (71 researchers including 26 permanent ones) cover the whole range of security and defense issues, from international relations to scientific, technological and operational questions, as well as defense industry and economy, the analysis of cross-cutting threats (terrorism, cyberattacks, NBC proliferation…) as well as health and environmental risks.

Its partners are public and private : Ministry of the Armed Forces, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office, Atomic Energy Commission, National Space Studies Center, National Air & Space Research Office, National Institute for Health and Medical Research ; European institutions (European Commission, European External Action Service, European Parliament, European Space Agency, European Defense Agency…) ; international organizations (United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization…) ; French and European private sector firms ; as well, for specific projects, governments of some foreign countries (Australia, Finland, Japan, Poland, United Kingdom…).

FRS researchers are active in the public debate in France and abroad ; they are regularly invited to appear in the main media.

Leadership

Xavier Pasco
Director

Isabelle Facon
Deputy director

Bruno Tertrais
Deputy director

Alexandre Houdayer
Secretary General

Board

The Foundation for Strategic Research is governed by a Board comprising members designated by the founders, de jure members representing several government institutions, as well as coopted members designated for their competences in the Foundation’s areas of activity

Bureau

M. Bruno RACINE, President  
M. Laurent COLLET-BILLON, Vice-Président  
Mme Dahlia KOWNATOR, Treasurer  

Membres représentant le Collège des Fondateurs

M. Hervé de BONNAVENTURE, Defense Advisor, MBDA
M. Charles EXPERTON, Head of the CEO's Cabinet, DASSAULT AVIATION
M. Sébastien GUEREMY, Strategic director, THALES
M. Xavier PAÏTARD, Defense Advisor for Strategy and Public Affairs, AIRBUS
M. Philippe SANSY, Deputy director of military applications, CEA

Membres représentant les Administrations (Membres de droit)

M. Brice LAMOTTE, Ministry of Research
M. Bruno RACINE, Ministry of Education, President, /em>

Co-opted member

Mme Claude-France ARNOULD, ancien ambassadeur, ex directeur exécutif de l’Agence européenne de défense
M. Laurent COLLET-BILLON, ancien Délégué Général pour l’Armement, Vice-Président
Mme Marie-Pierre van HOECKE
Mme Dahlia KOWNATOR, Founder and director of consulting firm, Treasurer
M. Philippe STEININGER, Military Advisor to the President, CNES

Activity

Budget

In 2022, the Foundation’s resources amounted to 3.8 million euros. Research funding originated from:

 
 
 
 
 

Events

FRS regularly organizes meetings involving a wide audience in venues such as the National Library of France or the Maison de la Chimie.

Each year, it also organizes in its Parisian offices about twenty seminars and workshops involving elected representatives, high-level civil servants, journalists, researchers, experts and students.

It is involved in the organization of « 1.5 » type strategic dialogues between France and some of its main foreign partners.

Publications

  • FRS publishes:
  •  a selection of studies conducted for institutional or private partners, with their agreement
  •  original works by its staff
  •  articles and monographs published by its staff in newspapers or journals
  •  texts proposed by outside experts provided they bring an interesting contribution to the strategic debate

Collections include:

Notes de la FRS
(less than 10 pages)

Recherches & Documents
(longer monographs)

Ad hoc products

All published works are available on our French website.

Programs

FRS currently has ten long-term funded programs and seven EU-related funded projects.

Networks to which FRS is affiliated

EUROMESCO
CTED
EU Non-Proliferation Consortium