Geneviève Fioraso, France's minister for higher education and research, has presented a national catalogue, France Université Numérique, of massive open online courses.
The service, introduced on 2 October, will host courses provided by institutions in other countries as well as by French universities, the minister said.
The catalogue includes 22 online courses so far, in disciplines ranging from philosophy to infectious diseases. The courses will open later this month, but people who wish to register can express their interest now.