In France the creation of Instituts Universitaires de Formation des Maitres (IUFMs), university institutes of teacher education, has revived the question of the role of research in teacher education. The IUFM is not part of a university and does not have the same status. It has to negotiate a contract with a university. The importance of research in the practice of IUFMs was studied with emphasis on collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Semi-structured interviews with the directors of the 28 IUFMs, document review, and case studies of 15 IUFMs provided data for a series of monographs (14 in all) about educational research and teacher education in France. All of the IUFMs were created with a research function or structure, and their main research dissemination effort has been the creation of networks for training and exchange. These systems are organized around information, methodological help, and material and financial help. The proliferation of horizontal research networks created by the IUFMs is modifying educational research in the demand they create for information, the relations among producers of research, and research processes. The IUFMs have fostered a high demand for applied educational research and have encouraged new partnerships, new modes of training for research, and new subjects for research. (Contains 60 references.) (SLD)