The Chairs, Presentation

Freedom of Research
The Collège de France is organized by chairs covering the whole range of disciplines: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, archaeology, literature, linguistics, orientalism, philosophy, social sciences, etc.
These are not permanent: the possibility of changing the fields of the chairs allows for innovation. At the Assembly of the professors, the decision is made as to whether the title of a chair that has fallen vacant can be maintained or – most often – changed: a mathematician may thus succeed an historian or a linguist an economist. No university rank is required of the person who is put forward; all that count is the importance and originality of his or her work. Thus, the Collège enjoys not only considerable freedom in its teaching and research activities but can adapt to the progress achieved in all fields of knowledge.

An international dimension
A special welcome is given to foreign scientists. Since 1992, the Collège has the possibility to engage foreign scientific personalities as full time professors for one of its common chairs. This procedure continued with the creation of five annual chairs.
The European chair and the International chair, respectively created in 1989 and in 1992, welcomed every year a new foreign professor. In 2008, both chairs were organized by themes in order to favor an annual cycle of education inside a changing society. The scientific subjects were focused on Sustainable Development - Environment, Energy and Society and on the theme Knowledge Against Poverty.
The chair of Artistic Creation, which started in 2004, is intended to welcome, during one year, a personality illustrating the contemporary artistic creation under its multiple forms and in all the domain of art.
Thanks to the chair of Technological Innovation Liliane Bettencourt, created in 2007 and financed for the first time by private funds, the Collège de France establishes new links between the research fields, the industry and the new technologies.
In 2009, in association with the Inria, the fifth annual chair was inaugurated, the chair of Information Technology and Digital Sciences.