The Crédit d'Impôt Recherche (CIR) provides a 30% refundable tax credit on R&D expenditure up to €100M annually. This is refundable cash—not just a deduction—meaning companies receive money even with no tax liability.
Mechanics
Companies conducting R&D in France claim 30% of qualifying expenditure, including:
- Researcher/engineer salaries and social charges
- Subcontracted R&D (capped at €10M or 3x internal R&D spend)
- Patent filing costs
- Prototyping and testing costs
- Depreciation of R&D equipment
Example: Mistral AI with €30M R&D spend receives €9M CIR refund. Station F startups with €1M R&D spend receive €300K CIR refund.
Eligibility
All companies conducting R&D in France qualify, regardless of size or nationality. France 2030 grant recipients automatically qualify. See JEI status for additional benefits.
Official guide: French Ministry of Economy