Agropolis Fondation, extended name "Montpellier Agricultural Sciences and Sustainable Development” was created in France on Feb. 21st, 2007 by the three initial founding institutions INRA, CIRAD, and Montpellier SupAgro. It constitutes the legal frame of the thematic network for advanced research “Agricultural Sciences and Sustainable Development”, a network of research units, selected in 2006 together with twelve other networks for advanced research in various disciplines by the French Ministry for Research and higher education. The Foundation is to promote the development of scientific projects of international level in the field of agronomy and sustainable development in relation to both North and South issues.
Scientific frame of the network
The network scientific priorities relate to the following global issues :
An increased demand for plants, for both food and non-food purposes
Socio-technical dynamics of innovation : agri-environmental innovation, food industry innovation, social innovation and social management of innovation
The thematics involved are centering on the plant : the plant, from the gene to the whole plant ; the plant in its environment; plant products and their food and non-food uses…
A network of research Units
In 2007, the network is composed of 29 research units ; Approx. 780 scientists are involved :
580 scientists belonging to the three initial founding institutions.
200 scientists from partner institutions of the joint research units
Aims of the Foundation
The Foundation is aiming at
increasing the international openness, attractiveness and renown of the Montpellier agronomic research complex especially by attracting high level foreign scientists and by contributing to the development of international cooperation projects.
stimulating the collaboration between the research units in the network.
strengthening the offer in education through research especially towards students from emerging and developing countries
To fulfill these aims, the foundation will support incoming high level foreign scientists, finance post-doctoral and doctoral positions, contribute to the development of structuring technological projects, support thematic training sessions and scientific events of international importance, as well as various others actions. The Foundation’s actions are to be linked to those of the Agropolis International association to allow Montpellier institutions involved in agricultural sciences as a whole to reach the same international repute as other agricultural research institutes at European or international level. For example, since 2009 the foundation is part of the consortium supporting Pl@ntNet, an app for automaticplant identification through photographs.
