CNRS Biology and CNRS Ecology & Environment and of the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale organize each year a series of four to five lectures entitled the "Jacques Monod Conferences", on new topics in fundamental biology and their applications to biotechnology, health, agronomy, and their related industries, with emphasis on recent progress of interdisciplinary research.

The primary goal of CNRS Biology and CNRS Ecology & Environment and Inserm is to develop, using the Jacques Monod Conferences, a means of monitoring scientific research which could provide information for their Research strategies.

The selection of conferences is made through a call for proposals open to scientists who wish to organize a Jacques Monod conference. A call for tenders is initiated each year by CNRS Biology. The projects of the Jacques Monod Conferences are examined by the "Scientific Committee of the Jacques Monod Conferences".

Total number of attendees to the Jacques Monod Conferences ranges between 80 to 115 per conference. As a rule, a smaller number of attendees could hamper the scientific community from taking advantage of the efforts required in organizing such a meeting. However, an exception may be made for a smaller research community if the field is scientifically important (above all, in the care of newly emerging areas). Presentations must be on recent, unpublished work or work in the process of being published.