[3] It replaces the doctorat d'État [state doctorate], which itself lasted only twenty years (Decree no.
The HDR is the highest academic qualification in France, insofar as the agrégation du supérieur, in those disciplines where it still exists, is not a diploma but a competitive examination.
It was also necessary to obtain qualification from the Conseil national des universités (CNU), following a specific application process (submission of a dossier very similar to that for the Habilitation itself, studied by a double expert panel once a year).
The 2020 research programming law changes the rule for an experimental 4-year period: not only is qualification automatic for tenured lecturers (Art.
L. 952-6-4), but the Docents of each university may choose to waive the qualification rule for any position other than those accessible through the agrégation du supérieur competitive examination (Art.