56 | IHES Annual Report 2020

EXPENDITURE The financial situation, excluding the provision for unrealized losses on the IHES's financial investments, remains positive thanks to rigorous budget management. In 2020, IHES employed 44 staff members, including the director and six permanent professors.

While operating expenses decreased slightly because of the health crisis, IHES took advantage of the particular context of 2020 to increase maintenance work in all its buildings.

Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, IHES had to close from March 16 to May 10, 2020. During this period, only visiting researchers and post-doctoral fellows were able to stay at the Ormaille residence, working remotely. All administrative staff also had to work from home.

The implementation of all the restrictions linked to Covid-19 led to a decrease in face-to-face scientific activity, but work continued online, thanks to the rapid deployment of the "Zoom" application for videoconferences and webinars, as well as high-performance computer equipment. To improve the quality of remote working, all fixed workstations were progressively replaced by laptops. IHES also renewed its data storage infrastructure, increasing from 25 TB to 150 TB with synchronization on the Ormaille site. The Institute carried out a security audit to assess the state of play and identify any weaknesses, and the mail and LDAP (authentication) servers were replaced.

Thanks to these adjustments, the Institute was able to welcome 92 researchers in 2020 in excellent conditions and organize three high-level international conferences.

IHES also pursued an active investment policy for its real estate assets in order to reduce its energy consumption and provide its researchers with high quality infrastructures. These investments were made possible thanks to the infrastructure fund financed by Caisse des Dépôts, which enabled the necessary energy maintenance and renovation work on the Bois-Marie buildings and the Ormaille residence to be carried out (in particular, the renovation of the first floor of Pavilion 7 with the conversion of a single apartment into 3 apartments, with sizes adapted to the different types of visit taking place at the Institute). In December 2020, IHES also secured funding totaling 785 k with the Plan de relance (Recovery Plan) for the first phase of renovation of the stairwell, roof, and six units in the Ormaille residence building. The work began in January 2021 and will be completed in March 2022. All of these operations will enable the Institute to reduce its energy consumption by more than 50% in the coming years and to meet the 40% target of the French housing law, set by decree, before the 2030 deadline.