The Laboratoire de Physique de Clermont Auvergne’s status as a “Unité Mixte de Recherche” (Joint Research Unit) provides a framework for its organization, ensuring a high degree of operational flexibility, in particular for the management of its scientific life and the day-to-day running of the laboratory.

The Director of the LPCA is appointed by the supervisory authorities after consultation with all members of the laboratory through a committee comprising its various components, external members and representatives of the supervisory authorities. He is assisted by a Technical Manager and an Administrative Manager.

The laboratory is organized into research poles and support services. Each pole is made up of teams, which bring together scientific staff working on the same theme. Each team works on one or more projects: some teams are totally identified with a single project, others are multi-project. There are also smaller projects that bring together staff from several different teams. Projects are structured into actions, some of which – technical actions – call on the laboratory’s technical resources, whose personnel are spread across the services.

The Unit Council is an essential statutory body of the LPCA. It is chaired by the director, but a vice-president is responsible for the day-to-day running of the council, to ensure that it plays its full role in coordinating the life of the laboratory. It meets approximately once a month.

The laboratory has an international scientific advisory board, which is consulted by management for the emergence and follow-up of research projects, and assesses their quality and relevance. Independent experts are brought in on a case-by-case basis to assist the Scientific Advisory Board in its work. Internal members of the board are also consulted by management whenever a question arises concerning the scientific life of the laboratory.

Health and safety conditions are monitored by three prevention officers and two radiation protection officers. An in-house health and safety committee is also consulted to ensure that emerging problems are identified and taken into account.

A local joint committee assists management in all matters relating to the development of technical staff, whether in terms of bonuses or promotion.