French government ministers in the context of Secretary of State (Ancien Régime)

The Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space (French: Ministre de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Espace; formerly Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation or Ministre de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation) is a cabinet position in the French Government overseeing university-level education and research. The ministry is headquartered in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The current minister was appointed on 23 December 2024 and is Philippe Baptiste serving in the Bayrou government, first Lecornu government and the current second Lecornu government — he is an engineer, holder of a doctorate from the University of Technology of Compiègne and a graduate engineer of Mines Nancy; a researcher with the CNRS; a professor at École Polytechnique; and former President of the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). The minister has either headed a ministry in its own right — as between 1959 and 1974 (as Minister for Scientific Research) and from 1992 to 1993 (as Minister for Research and Space); been attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, as between 1974 and 1981; or served as a delegated minister, as has been the case since 1993, under the supervision of another ministry. Between 1993 and 2025, the delegated minister has been under the authority of the Minister of National Education.

The Ministry is one of the sponsors of the Irène Joliot-Curie Prize, which is awarded to women scientists who have distinguished themselves by the quality of their research.