The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas:

• defence and security,
• low carbon energies (nuclear and renewable energies),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in nine centres spread throughout France. It works in partnership with many other research bodies, local authorities and universities. Within this context, the CEA is a stakeholder in a series of national alliances set up to coordinate French research in energy (ANCRE), life sciences and health (AVIESAN), digital science and technology (ALLISTENE), environmental sciences (AllEnvi) and human and social sciences (ATHENA).

In 2017, Thomson-Reuters / Clarivate identified the CEA as the most innovative public research organization in Europe. CEA in figures (2016)

• 9 research centres
• 16 010 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff
• 51 joint research units (UMR)
• 55 framework agreements with universities and schools
• 743 priority patents filed in 2016
• 27 Equipex (facilities of excellence)
• 33 Labex (Laboratories of excellence)
• 3 Idex (Initiatives of excellence)
• 195 start-ups since 1972 in the innovative technologies sector
• 4,1 billion euros budget
• 422 ongoing European projects in 2016.