ALL OUR LATEST NEWS

28 JUNE 2023

Agent Majeur celebrates its 15th anniversary

One cannot avoid growing older, but one can keep from getting old.” This quote by famous painter Henri Matisse perfectly reflects our state of mind. With 15 years of experience, we still feel young. Indeed, the communication sector and the world of research keep changing. To stay up to date, we are always on the lookout for the latest news and trends in order to offer our clients the best services. We would never think of resting on our laurels!

When we reflect on these past 15 years, we are quite proud of our journey. In all, we trained 3800 people, we produced 180 videos and we satisfied more than 200 clients who still trust us today. We wrote a guide on oral communication, « SELL YOUR RESEARCH: Public Speaking for Scientists » published by Springer. We also overcame challenging periods, not to mention the bloody COVID-19 pandemic, by adapting. Finally, we continue to develop our international missions, in Europe of course, but also in North America.

This would not have been possible without the skills of our amazing team. It includes a wide range of experts, and is our greatest asset. Consultants, writers, graphic designers, trainers, video directors, stage designers… we work together hand in hand on your projects and we draw on the skills of each specialist to achieve the best possible result. We are therefore delighted to celebrate our 15th anniversary and this new year is full of projects. With always the same objective: to promote research and those who move science forward.

15 years Agent Majeur

19 SEPT. 2022

New missions in America

This fall, Agent Majeur looks to America. We have the great pleasure of carrying out two missions for North-American clients, in the United-States and in Canada. Our agency is used to working in English and in several European countries but we are nonetheless quite proud to expand our activities across the Atlantic.

From July to October, we will train researchers from the Quebec Pain Research Network (QPRN) in podcasting. Writing, recording, editing: through 5 sessions via videoconference, participants will discover all the aspects of podcasting with a trainer, who is a podcaster herself. It is precisely because we offer a complete training in podcasting, from the design to the promotion of audio content, that the QPRN decided to entrust us with this mission.

As for our second mission, it will take place in Chicago in October. One of our consultants will give a 2-day training course in public speaking. The participants will be researchers supported by the CureSearch foundation who work on cancer treatments for children. Why did they choose us? Our book on public speaking, SELL YOUR RESEARCH made its mark. It is thanks to this book that CureSearch discovered our agency and decided to entrust us with this mission. The foundation was drawn to the idea that their participants will acquire a method to prepare their oral presentations or speeches and each researcher will get a copy of the book.

Since its beginnings, Agent Majeur has carried out missions in English and in many European countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, etc. With these two new missions, we now expand our activities to America. You would like to propose a mission abroad to our agency? Contact us.

13 SEPT. 2021

A quality certification for Agent Majeur

After two years, the same gestation period as elephants, we are very pleased to announce a happy event! Nope, not the birth of a baby in our office, but the fact that we have finally obtained the QUALIOPI quality certification. This certification, for professional training in France, guarantees the high quality of training courses. It is based on 7 criteria and 32 indicators – which explains this lengthy preparation! These requirements especially ensure that training courses are adapted to the specific objectives of the client, that innovating training methods are implemented, that instructors continuously develop their skills, and that courses provide access to persons with disabilities.

At Agent Majeur, we want the best for our clients. Which is why we have chosen to further guarantee the quality of our training courses with this certification. After a successful audit in our premises in September, this new certification is yet another reason to place your trust in us. We make every effort to develop the skills of the men and women that we train.

Qualiopi, French quality certification

3 AUG. 2021

An interview in Times Higher Education

To support diversity, inclusiveness and cooperation in research, the British funding agency for research and innovation (UK Research and Innovation, UKRI) recently amended the CV format for researchers.

To learn more about this narrative CV and the best way to complete the application, a journalist of Times Higher Education interviewed Alexia Youknovsky, the CEO of Agent Majeur. Indeed, this new CV format is a demanding exercise. This document is composed of 7 parts: 3 of them are focused on the researcher, his/her career and motivations, and the other 4 modules target the researcher’s contributions to research and society. The questions are similar to those asked during a job interview. Furthermore, the answers of the researchers should not exceed a limited number of words. The time for endless lists of job descriptions and publications is over. This dynamic and concise CV format supports a wider range of profiles and skills.

Our CEO believes that this new narrative CV is the opportunity for researchers to explain “who they are” in addition to “what they did”. To stand out, Alexia’s advice is to use storytelling or to focus on 1 or 2 examples to highlight the greatest achievements, for example. Finally, she recommends the use of vocabulary to describe emotions in order to connect with readers. Simply put, researchers should share their passion!

Times Higher Education

24 June 2021

Build a communication strategy

“How to build a communication strategy?” This is the question that our CEO, Alexia Youknovsky, and James Bowers, editor-in-chief at Polytechnique Insights (and ex-Agent Majeur), intend to answer in a webinar organised by the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA).

On June 24th, the two authors of “SELL YOUR RESEARCH – Public Speaking for Scientists” will exchange on the subject of scientific communication and explain how to build a communication strategy. This one-hour webinar was held via Zoom. You can watch it on the Youtube channel of the MCAA.

Webinar: How to build a communication strategy?

28 Jan. 2021

A visit of the Guggenheim Museum in NYC

Inspired by the challenges of 2020, we innovated to celebrate 2021. How? By giving our clients the opportunity to embark on a virtual tour of the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

« Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. This will miraculously transform your whole life. » This quote by the author Eckhart Tolle has truly been an inspiration here at Agent Majeur for several months. Indeed, like our clients, we had to adapt and reinvent ourselves. Yet it is precisely for these reasons that these times also provide great opportunity. They drive us to imagine creative solutions which would not have seen the light of day in other circumstances.

Thus, we decided to innovate to celebrate this new year! We offered our clients, partners and friends, to join us on a virtual tour of the Guggenheim Museum in New York on January 28, 2021. In order to share this opportunity with as many people as possible, we also launched a contest on the social networks to give out 3 “tickets” for this visit to the winners.

Led by a tour guide specialized in art history, this 1-hour visit offered a glimpse in the works acquired by the museum from its creation until today. It also gave us the opportunity to discover the history and the architecture of the Guggenheim. A breath of fresh air, an exotic moment, a beautiful escape from these dreary times: the feedback of the participants is unanimous. Long live culture, even from afar!

Virtual tour of the Guggenheim Museum in New York

9 Mar. 2020

Agent Majeur hits 12 !

According to the Japanese proverb, “we start aging, when we stop learning”. Surely that helps to explain how are agency has reached the ripe old age of 12 without a single wrinkle. Since our creation, the world of research and innovation has continued to evolve, as has communication. To overcome these challenges, Agent Majeur has continued to learn and adapt our science communication services to remain aligned with new trends.

For some time now, a new challenge has been close to our heart: develop our international visibility. Thanks to our perseverance, the results are beginning to show! In particular, last May our founder and CEO, Alexia Youknovsky, participated in a webinar organised by Science Magazine in Washington, USA. And, more recently, James Bowers was interviewed by Queen’s Mary University London about his career. On top of it all, over the past year we have carried out more projects outside France than ever before: Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg… Not to mention all the projects within France that we have carried out in English and for an international audience.

To end in style, another project that should help us reach scientists around the world: a book about how to improve public speaking. “Entitled “Sell Your Research : Public Speaking for Scientists“, published by Springer, it will be released in April 2020.

With all that, we’re immensely happy to be blowing out our twelfth candle. To celebrate our birthday with you, we are offering the winner of our Twitter competition an exclusive isothermic bottle in Agent Majeur colours. Keep your tea hot and your juice cold with this super gift. Get in quick, there are only a few more days left to enter!

To celebrate our birthday with you, we are offering the winner of our Twitter competition an exclusive isothermic bottle in Agent Majeur colours.

25 Feb. 2020

A first at Agent Majeur: a book!

That’s it. We are there… or nearly! This a huge first for our team. After two years of hard work, our first book, “SELL YOUR RESEARCH: Public Speaking for Scientists” will be out in May. Published by Spinger and written in English, the topic is presentation skills for scientists.

In these pages, Alexia Youknovsky and James Bowers describe the SELL Method, a three-step technique for preparing a science presentation. It has been integrated into our training program for over a decade and used on no less than 2,500 people.

Are you a researcher, engineer, doctor or professor working in research or innovation? Then this book is for you. Full of advice and examples for your next presentation, you won’t put a step wrong!

If you wish to know more about our training courses in public speaking, feel free to get in touch.

Sell Your Research : Public Speaking for Scientists, by Alexia Youknovsky and James Bowers

6 Jan. 2020

An intern with a dual skill-set: science and communication

Since the beginning of the year, we have a new recruit in our team. Sporty and passionate about science since her youth, Agent Majeur has chosen Samira to carry out her 6-month placement with us. A student at Sorbonne University in Paris, she is currently finishing her M2 in Integrative Biology and Physiology with a focus on Nutrition and Health. Her background provides her with a dual skill-set: science and communication.

Samira will be working across multiple tasks: she will help us improve the search engine positioning of our website, support us in the release of our book “SELL YOUR RESEARCH: Public Speaking for Scientists”, participate in events planning and manage our Twitter account. Her experience in science will provide her with the tools to rigorously apply her varied skillset to these tasks.

“This practical experience will make a welcome change from the theory I’ve been learning at University. Carrying out my placement at Agent Majeur is a great opportunity for me to combine two fields that interest me enormously and in which I would like to progress in the future. Moreover, I’m excited to work in an agency so that I can try my hand at diverse tasks and develop my transferable skills”.

Samira, an intern with a dual skill-set: science and communication

21 Oct. 2019

Agent Majeur goes back to uni

Recently, the Sorbonne University called upon Agent Majeur to run a science communication training for students on the M2 course in Management and Innovation. Our CEO, Alexia Youknovsky, stepped up to the plate.

She first presented to students how to build a science communication strategy. Then, to support her explanation, she used a range of examples from companies in research and innovation. Her objective was to provide a panorama of the communication activities used in these sectors. The second part of her course delved into public speaking and in particular, how to pitch, an essential component in the lives of start-ups and innovative enterprises.

This double approach, combining theory and practical, saw the students apply the skills they had been learning straight away. Agent Majeur wishes them all much success in their future careers, starting with their internships, which will provide them with an experience in science communication and an understanding of its importance in innovative projects.

The Sorbonne University called upon Agent Majeur to run a science communication training for students on the M2 course in Management and Innovation.

29 May 2019

Science communication webinar

How to communicate about science? How to promote it without deforming it? Each week, Science magazine organises a webinar aimed at scientists. On the 29th May, the topic of discussion was science communication.

This round table filmed in Washington, was hosted by Sean Sanders, Ph.D. Amongst his panel of experts: Alexia Youknovsky, founder and CEO of Agent Majeur, Laura Lindenfeld, Ph.D. (Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science), Laura Helmuth, Ph.D. (The Washington Post) and Matthew S. Savoca, Ph.D. (Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University).

Supported by the Fondation IPSEN, this hour-long webinar will provide you with advice on how to better communicate to your peers and the general public.
The recorded version of the webinar is still available: all you need to do is sign up with your e-mail address on the Science magazine website.

Science communication webinar with Alexia Youknovsky, founder and CEO of Agent Majeur

04 Mar. 2019

A gentle southern breeze just hit Agent Majeur

Architect and researcher in sustainable development, Alessandra has multiple strings to her bow. Originally from North Italy, she packed her bags for London for five years before joining the Agent Majeur team. Driven by a constant desire to learn, she is integrating our team for a 6-month internship to validate her certificate in Construction of a cultural outreach project and scientific and technical communication at the CNAM in Paris.

At ease with the visual and technical aspects of communication, Alessandra’s project is double-sided. She will help us reinforce our search engine optimisation (SEO) to improve our international visibility on the web. And, with her graphic design skills, she will collaborate on development of communication aids in English – the content of which is still secret!

“I want to involve myself in a practical experience, in which I can make full use of my interest in science communication. I have always been passionate about finding new and original ideas to make a complex subject more accessible”.

Alessandra Ghione

23 Jul. 2018

Agent Majeur just turned 10 years old!

As the years go by, Agent Majeur keeps on growing. To celebrate our 10th birthday, the team has organised an evening on the theme of fake news. In our Paris offices, we created a workshop to create our own fake news, we put together a fake news quiz, scattered the place with mind-bending presents and handed out plenty of “real” champagne. As for our guests, fake celebrities like Stromae and the Queen of England rubbed shoulders with us on our red carpet so that we could immortalise the moment with a photo.

At the origin of our longevity are two essential notions: trust and pleasure. Our clients trust that is renewed over the years and trust in ourselves; in our capacity to step up to each new challenge. The other vital ingredient: pleasure! The pleasure to work with people who are passionate about their job, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovative project leaders… and the pleasure to own our ability to work with audacity and a curiosity of complex subjects, at the forefront of technology.

Thank you to all those who came to celebrate our birthday: we were very happy to have you here. And that isn’t fake news!

Agent Majeur just turned 10 years old!

22 Jan. 2018

No to Brexit, long live Brintam!

European friendship still has some good years left ahead. Instead of Brexit (British exit), Agent Majeur prefers the Brintam (British into Agent Majeur): our team has just been reinforced this month with a new component and our new recruit is British!

James is a doctor in molecular biology and has a masters in Science Media Production from Imperial College London. As a science journalist, he has worked in interaction with numerous public and industrial laboratories in Europe. He has also worked in TV production in both Paris and London on programmes for the BBC and Discovery Channel.

An experienced writer for science communication companies and science expert on the small screen, James has recently joined the Agent Majeur team. His new challenge? To help scientists effectively communicate their work. “The world of science communication is constantly growing in our society and modern tools are making this more and more important. I want to be part of this new wave of specialists who mediate the interaction between science and the rest of the world”.

4 Jan. 2018

Agent Majeur is transformed

The caterpillars are still patiently waiting for the Spring flowers to appear before transforming into butterflies. Meanwhile, at Agent Majeur we have been making the most of the winter to change our look and show off our best colours.

We invite you to surf our brand new, totally refurbished website! You will still find all our previous content updated with a new visual identity, more user-friendly pages and a format better suited to smartphones thanks to an adaptable web page design.

As we all know, a new website can have several teething problems. Please do let us know if you come across any issues so that we may correct them as soon as possible. On the other hand, if you really like the new website then it would be lovely to hear from you.

Enjoy your visit.

4 Sept. 2017

New season, new recruit!

It’s back to work time in 2017 and Agent Majeur has acquired a new asset to develop our client portfolio: Modibo.

A basketball player for eight years, this 1.95-metre-tall sports devotee has parked his suitcase in our communications agency for a five-month internship as a business developer. Currently studying at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Modibo has chosen to take a gap year to build up some solid professional experience before the 2nd year of his Masters degree in Commercial Strategy and Negotiation Policy.

“I was looking for an internship as a business developer, preferably in a small company where I can be involved in a bit of everything. Working for a communications agency spiked my interest and the fact that the clients are large research groups seemed like a nice challenge to conquer.”

In the future, this gutsy young man is envisaging himself as marketing director of an international company or the head of his own business!

Agent Majeur has acquired a new asset to develop our client portfolio: Modibo.

6 Mar. 2017

Recruitment at Agent Majeur

With the good weather on its way, Agent Majeur is expanding its team by welcoming in a new recruit: Gwenaëlle, science communications consultant.

With three years’ experience in public engagement working with children and teenagers, Gwenaëlle has always nurtured a taste for scientific knowledge and sharing it with others. Educated at the crossroads between several scientific disciplines (biology, ecology, sociology and cartography), she has joined the team at Agent Majeur to support our clients in their communication projects: written/oral communication, technical writing and the development of site tours.

“I enjoy constantly learning new things and immersing myself in scientific studies, which are sometimes very complex. I find that successfully explaining all this to others in a simple way, is extremely gratifying and a great way of disseminating scientific knowledge.”

28 Feb. 2017

Fiesta at the office

To celebrate the 9th birthday of the agency, Agent Majeur opened our offices to clients and partners. On the menu: canapés, organic wine tasting, wine culture quiz and a photo booth. Thanks to everyone for this fantastic evening, we had a great time!

See you next year for our 10th birthday? 😉

16 Jan. 2017

Afterwork: Agent Majeur celebrates its 9th birthday

Agent Majeur is growing! Our science communications agency will be heading into its tenth year in stunning, brand new offices. So why don’t you come celebrate with us?

There are loads of great reasons to come join us: to celebrate Agent Majeur’s 9th birthday, discover our new premises and take part in our housewarming. But also, to meet the whole team, discuss new projects, laugh, discuss, share, taste good wine, play some fun games, meet pleasant new people, have a photo taken, listen to good music and most of all… have a great time together!

We will be expecting you on Tuesday 28th February from 6PM for a relaxed after work evening in the Agent Majeur premises, a short walk from Bon Marché – 5 Rue Rousselet, 75007, Paris. Sign up quickly by e-mail at contact@agentmajeur.fr, places are limited!

25 Nov. 2016

Science communication workshops

Want to arouse an interest in your teams for science communication? We offer lectures and workshops in short formats to train participants how to improve oral and written communication. Both accessible and useful, science communication workshops will help you discover communication techniques and to discuss how you may apply them. Lasting two hours, they are designed for groups of 10 to 15 people.

To complement these workshops, we present conferences on science communication for audiences of up to 200 people (duration: 45 minutes). You can choose a theme or combine several over the same day. In the case of large-scale events, we can provide up to six speakers per day.

Are you interested in science communication workshops and conferences? Discover all our offers on this page. Feel free to propose any themes that you could be adapted to suit your needs.

3Mar. 2016

Conference: find your message

The message is the backbone of any communications activity! Alexia Benichou, science communication specialist and founder of Agent Majeur, will present a conference on the theme “Communication: find your message” to be held on 29th March in Paris at “Paris Region Entreprises”.

To begin her talk, Alexia will present good practises of effective oral and written communication – whatever the context. She will focus on the importance of the message in communication and the need to define it whilst considering your objectives and the expectations of your audience.

You will discover a tool to help you devise appropriate messages. You can then verify whether the chosen message is adequate for the communications activity you are preparing: grant proposal, sales pitch, oral presentation, face-to-face exchanges, print or web etc.

Attend Alexia Benichou’s conference on 29th March 2016 at “Paris Region Entreprises”, 11 Rue Cambrai, 75019, Paris.

14 Dec. 2015

Communication training courses in Quebec

Over the past year, the Quebec Metropolitan Technology Park chose communication training programmes by Agent Majeur. Their selection was integrated into a support programme that will be offered to organisations within the Technology Park in collaboration with “Emploi-Québec”.

In 2015, four modules were provided: “Convince in 15 minutes, Negotiate to defend your interests, Present an innovation in 3 minutes and Succeed in meetings”. In 2016, the training offered will be expanded by adding the programme “Creating impactful PowerPoint slides”, available in January and March.

The content and format of these modules have been adapted in collaboration with our partner, based in Quebec, to better cater for the needs of local science and technology companies.

Find out more about our training courses in Canada.

8 Sept. 2014

Agent Majeur in Canada

Some of our clients have branches all over the world. To guarantee them the same level of service wherever they may be, Agent Majeur is going international!
Until now training courses provided by Agent Majeur were available across Europe and organised from France. To prioritise a close relationship with our clients, Agent Majeur is exporting over the Atlantic. The first step: Canada, in particular Quebec, and Yukon. From September our science communication training courses are available there in French or English.
To find out more, contact us

21 Oct. 2013

Scientific illustrator

Static or animated, illustrations integrated into a written or oral communication piece have an unbeatable capacity for clarification. That is exactly why we have recently added a scientific illustrator to our ranks. With over 15 years of experience in the world of scientific research, his visuals have been used to illustrate online articles, scientific conferences and a range of documents.

To work with a scientific illustrator, it is first necessary to outline a design brief. Describing the visual to illustrate with the help of text or a sketch, the brief should be adapted to your communication objectives and the target audience. For an animated illustration we advise you to add more detail, in the form of a scenario, to the different steps of the animation.

The design brief can be produced by yourselves or by our consultants. Indeed, when the illustration is intended to complete a written project, it is wise to allow the writer to directly organise the interaction with the scientific illustrator.

1 May 2013

Morning site tours

Agent Majeur will be giving an Opticsvalley morning presentation on the theme of “Successful guided tours: open the doors to your laboratory or factory and enhance your expertise”, on Tuesday 11th June at Palaiseau.

For those who accommodate clients, partners and students, guided tours provide a special moment to establish a direct relationship with your contacts, present your facilities and showcase your work. In our morning talk at Opticsvalley we will touch upon some of the particularities of guided tours and ways of making the exchange with visitors more successful.

This conference will be held at 11:30 to 12:30 on the premises of Opticsvalley – 35 boulevard Nicolas Samson, 91120 Palaiseau (RER: Palaiseau-Villebon).

20 Apr. 2013

Agent Majeur selected

Eurocopter chose Agent Majeur to participate in a work session with the theme “Business Innovation Ecosystem”, on the 17th and 18th April this year in Marseille. The objective of this workshop was to create new products and services corresponding to challenges often met by Eurocopter clients in the environmental field.

Our selection took place after responding to an innovation competition organised in February by Pacte PME. Agent Majeur, a science communications agency, outlined a proposal that applies our skills in guided tours. The major stake for Agent Majeur, as with the other SMEs selected, is support from Eurocopter in its international development.

1 Feb. 2013

Client satisfaction

Whilst the big corporations are publishing their annual results for 2012, Agent Majeur is also completing its yearly review. For this we need to look at the satisfaction of clients we’ve trained over the past year.

Three months after each of our sessions, we send an e-mail to participants to evaluate whether their training session was useful to them. With time to reflect and put skills into practise, 97% responded saying that they progressed thanks to our training course and they would recommend it to others.

4 Dec. 2012

Guided tours breakfast session

On Tuesday 4th December 2012, Agent Majeur will hold a breakfast session on the theme “Guided tours: opening the doors to your laboratory, factory, company museum and enhance your know-how”.

For those who accommodate clients, partners and students, guided tours provide a special moment to establish a direct relationship with your contacts, showcase your work and present your facilities. What are the particularities of guided tours? How can you make your exchange with visitors more successful?

This event will be held at l’Hôtel de l’Arcade, 9 Rue de l’Arcade, 75008 Paris (Metro: Madeleine)