Google puts €325K into collaboration with CNRS researchers in France

Internet search company Google and France’s public research agency CNRS have entered into a partnership to carry out joint research in computer science. The collaboration, the first of its kind in France, involves teams specialising in optimisation, an area of research that has potential application in transport, networks and production management.

Under the agreement, Google will invest Euro 325,000 in 2011, while CNRS will provide an engineer specialist in technology transfer and two PhD research grants. The hope is that this will develop into a long-term scientific cooperation.

The money will support teams from five French computer science laboratories, the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Paris 6; the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Nantes Atlantique; the Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale de Marseille; the Laboratoire CNRS d’Analyse et d’Architecture des Systèmes de Toulouse and the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Grenoble.

Optimisation studies are seen as an area of excellence in French computer science research, and the five teams have international recognition for their expertise in the field. Further progress in fundamental research is thus expected and varied applications are envisaged, for example, the results could be used to design fibre optic networks, optimise the exchange of data packets in wireless networks, and to manage and optimise the use of resources within organisations.