Fondation de France’s donor-advised funds mobilize to combine technological innovation with the public interest. Pollution control, the transition to renewable energies, intelligent transport systems—all of these are public interest issues that can benefit from science and technology. Thirteen of these donor-advised funds focus on the so-called “hard” sciences, supporting research, innovation and new academic programs, as well as addressing societal questions arising from technological development.

Equally indispensable when rising to the challenge of these complex times is research in the social sciences. The digital revolution, hyperconnectivity, job relocation, new sources of insecurity… how do we comprehend these transformations and imagine the world of tomorrow? Nineteen of Fondation de France’s donor-advised funds support research in the social sciences, not only to decipher these modern enigmas, but also to propose new ideas and practices.