PIQ, standing for Inria Quadrant Programme, is a programme to support scientific risk-taking operated by the Agence de Programmes Numérique (Digital Programmes Agency) - Algorithms, Software and Usage - headed by Inria. The programme supports and funds scientists wishing to undertake high-risk, high-impact research projects in the field of digital science and technology, from its foundations to its uses.

PIQ is open to all scientists in the broadest sense of the term, including researchers, faculty members and research engineers, from all French higher education and/or research institutions.

The notion of risk refers to projects that may involve a high degree of uncertainty, very early-stage or exploratory projects, projects requiring major experimental or software development, projects that straddle several disciplines, projects with no identified scientific community, projects breaking with the state of the art or projects that propose to redefine the theoretical foundations of a subject. This list is not exhaustive.

There are no constraints regarding the nature of the impact of the projects supported, which may be societal, scientific, technological, economic, a breakthrough in knowledge or the shaping of a scientific dynamic, meeting national objectives or even leading to the development of benchmark software or technological tools. Again, this list is not exhaustive.

The name of the programme is inspired by Pasteur’s quadrant, a classification of research projects that aim for a fundamental understanding of scientific problems while being of immediate interest to society. The term was introduced by Donald E. Stokes in his book Pasteur’s Quadrant.