In this article, we propose a novel cartography of the French national research funding system (SNFRI). This representation is based on a functional and organizational model of the system that we modify through the addition of an evaluation function. The latter is designed with the ambition to provide a synthetic analysis of the impact of the research system as a whole rather than a qualitative examination of the projects and the actors that compose it. Finally, this map is an empirical validation of the existence and relevance of these functions and constitutes the first stage of a broader work whose ultimate objective is to build a model of SNFRI able to evaluate it and to grasp the global evolution dynamics of the financing of research in France. JEL Codes: O38, I23, I28, H11, H52