The Associate Teams program links two research teams (one INRIA, one foreign) willing to cross-leverage their respective excellence or their complementarity. It is a bottom-up initiative started by two scientists, whose early collaboration has evolved into established and active ties. When reaching a degree of maturity and seeing a potential for a larger bandwidth of collaboration, the two may apply through the French side to the yearly call for proposals of the Associate Teams program.

The Associate Teams funding may be used :
- to support travel for senior scientists, PhD students, post-doctoral students ;
- to invite scientists on a reciprocal basis ;
- to invite researchers as lecturers in summer schools ;
- to organize bilateral thematic workshops ;
- to help develop promotional material (reports, CDRom) ;
- to organize tutorials connected to international conferences ;
as long as the underlying purpose is to foster exchanges and communal research between the two research groups.

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• Researcher Exchanges

The Office of European and International Relations (DREI) manages agreements for scientific cooperation signed by CNRS and foreign research organizations.They finance, in some cases, the hosting of researchers for durations of one week to one month, within the framework of joint research projects.The selection of applications is made based on the excellence and novelty of the project.  Projects involving young researchers are given priority.

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• International Programs for Scientific Cooperation - PICS

A PICS is a 3 year, non-renewable program established on the basis of an ongoing collaborative relationship having already resulted in co-publication. After approval by the relevant CNRS scientific department, researchers must respond jointly to a call for proposals, which is sent out once a year (from February 1st to March 31). A PICS is implemented after a positive co-evaluation by the CNRS and the sponsoring foreign research organization. PICS funding is intended to cover research trips, the organization of meetings, and may in some cases be used to cover operations and the acquisition of small equipment.

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• International Associated Laboratory - LIA

An LIA is a "laboratory without walls" and is not a legal entity. It brings together at most three laboratories from CNRS and other European countries. These laboratories contribute human and material resources to a common, jointly-defined project designed to "add value" to their individual pursuits. An LIA agreement is for 4 years, renewable twice.The laboratories comprising an LIA retain their independence, their regular status, their director and their separate locations. An overall director of the LIA is appointed on a revolving basis if so desired.This type of collaboration does not include longterm research stays by the researchers involved in the project. An LIA receives earmarked funding from the CNRS and the partner institution, for equipment, scientific missions, associate research posts, etc.

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• International Research Groups - GDRI

A GDRI is a research network devoid of any legal status which connects public and/or private laboratories.  GDRIs are set up for a period of four years, renewable twice. A GDRI brings together several laboratories from two or more countries to coordinate research on a specified theme. GDRI program funding is used principally for mobility, information exchange, seminars and workshops.

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• International Joint Units - UMI

International Joint Units are located either in France or in another country and are staffed by personnel from both the CNRS and the partner country. The UMI is a new operational structure for research (SOR), first created in 2002. It has a similar status to that of a CNRS Joint Research Unit (UMR), and it brings together in the same laboratory researchers, engineers, and technicians from  CNRS and from  the other country taking part in the exchange. A UMI is headed by a laboratory director, named jointly by CNRS and the foreign partner institution. The director is responsible for the management of all of the resources made available to the laboratory.

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