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about us
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About us
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the IRD, a research institute
to benefit development
Originally founded in 1944, the Institut
de recherche pour le développement is a
French public sector science and technology
research establishment, reporting to the
French ministries responsible for research
and for development co-operation.
Working throughout the tropics, the IRD
centres its research programmes on the
relationship between humans and their
environment in the countries of the South.
We aim to be instrumental in those countries’ development, and our three basic
missions are research, consultancy and
training.
active international
development co-operation
All IRD activities are carried out in collaboration with universities, grandes écoles
and private and public research establishments in France and developing countries. We are involved in a large number
of European and international scientific
programmes, and we undertake our
research in close co-operation with partner countries.
193.6 MILLION EURO
TOTAL BUDGET
2,098 EMPLOYEES
992
STAFF OUTSIDE
MAINLAND FRANCE
97 RESEARCH AND SERVICE UNITS
400
DOCTORAL STUDENTS
325
MORE THAN
2
3
27.6%
FELLOWSHIPS
400 PUBLICATIONS
of the operating and investment budget
comes from IRD revenues
(research agreements and other earnings)
including
767
787
544
researchers
senior and intermediate non-research staff
local and other staff
including
740
in the 39 countries where the IRD operates
including 17 joint units with other French research bodies
or universities
supervised by IRD researchers and including 58% from countries
of the South
granted to individuals and teams from the South including
doctoral fellowships
short-term scientific exchanges
in-service training fellowships
181
95
47
available in the IRD catalogue
figures
figures
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© IRD/O. Dargouge
editorial
Editorial
No doubt as a consequence, the IRD’s image improved
markedly, our self-image included. This is the result of
constant effort by the whole community of “Irdians” to
make their work known to their peers, and also to society via the general-interest media. This aspect of our
efforts improves not only the Institute’s image but also
the image of science itself, a necessary advance if we are
to avoid polemics in which fear prevails over reason.
While we may not yet be as pro-active as one of our
trustees would wish, we now work systematically
through partnerships. This approach, which has become
essential in research, is especially indispensable for development research. Partnerships with the South, of course
– stronger, continually reviewed and if need be
redesigned so that supply and demand can work
together to produce ambitious projects in line with our
status as a State-funded body and our missions of
research, training and consultancy at the service of
development.
Partnerships with the North as well, especially in Europe,
whether bilaterally or through the European Union.
More effort is still needed in this regard: European
research for development has yet to be constructed. As
to partnerships in France, with colleagues in other
research bodies and universities, where development is
concerned we should fulfil a federating role for the
whole public research community, as we did in the runup to the Johannesburg Summit.
And lastly there are the multiple partnerships. These
should foster South-South co-operation, giving the
South its rightful place in the globalisation of research so
that we do not have to choose between collaboration
with developing countries and collaboration with emerging countries.
The wide range of disciplines represented in the IRD and
our presence on three continents as well as the French
overseas dependencies are major assets for handling all
these types of partnership. However, the current geographical pattern of our operations is destined to change.
The priority on the Euro-Mediterranean-Africa grouping
is necessary for historical, cultural, political and economic reasons. But change will be slow. It began in 2002
with the re-establishment of institutional relations with
Morocco. Algeria and perhaps a Portuguese-speaking
African country will be next, to give our relations with
Africa a continent-wide dimension and match it to the
spirit of NEPAD. However, asserting this priority does not
mean withdrawing from other parts of the world, provided we can more efficiently use and combine the
resources we have at our disposal, i.e. expatriation, longand short-term missions. With partnerships based on
trust and respect at the service of ambitious scientific
projects, the IRD will be able to serve its cause, the most
important cause of the 21st century: development.
Jean-François Girard
Chairman
Serge Calabre
Director General
© IRD/J. Louarn
W
hile the global background had its share
of tumult – in the Middle East, in Côte
d’Ivoire – at the IRD the year 2002 was a
steadily busy and forward-looking time.
The research system was in place with its
97 units including 17 joint research units
and several new ones. Judged by the number of publications, the Institute’s activity is well on a par with
that of other institutions. Many of our results attracted
attention, and this report gives a faithful account.
Modernisation of our administration through the service
project continued. The first stages of setting up the information system master plan met their target for the year.
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highlights
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Highlights of the year
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World Summit on Sustainable
Development, Johannesburg
new UNESCO Chair in agricultural
biotechnology and environmental sciences to
foster sustainable development
On behalf of the French Ministry of Research, the IRD was
heavily involved in preparing for this summit, co-ordinating the participation of French research bodies. We have
published a summary of these papers, entitled Développement durable?
At the initiative of the federative research institute for agroindustrial biotechnology research in Marseille, of which the
IRD is a founder-member, the new Chair has the University
of Provence, INRA and the IRD as partners.
Onchocerciasis used to be the second most common infectious cause of blindness in the world and a major public
health problem in 36 African countries. Now the OCP,
launched in 1974, has achieved its goal: infection has been
virtually eradicated from the 11 countries in the programme, 300,000 cases of blindness have been prevented,
and 11 million children born in this area since the programme began have escaped the risk. It will now be possible to prevent this health hazard in all the countries
affected. For the IRD, this is the crowning success of nearly
50 years’ research on the disease.
4
5
Challenge Programme on Water and Food
© IRD/E. Deliry Antheaume
Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP):
success of 28 years’ work in West Africa
World summit on sustainable development,
Johannesburg
agronomic research centre opens
in Martinique
IRD chairs committee on co-operation for
French tropical dependencies (C3I)
The PRAM (Pôle de recherche agronomique de la
Martinique) comprises teams from the National Institute
for Agricultural Research (INRA), the agriculture and environment engineering research institute CEMAGREF, the
French Agricultural Research Centre for International
Development (CIRAD) and the IRD.
The C3I agreement established consultation and co-operation procedures among four institutions – CIRAD, IRD, INRA
and IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of
the Sea) – for development research activities in the French
tropical dependencies. The IRD is chairing the C3I committee
for one year.
The Challenge Programmes of the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) are intended to
address major global development issues. The IRD represents
Europe on the steering committee of the first Challenge
Programme, “Water and Food”.
Tandetron particle accelerator
The French scientific community has acquired a new type of
particle accelerator, a Tandetron, installed at Saclay, outside
Paris. The IRD is contributing financially to this investment. ■
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the world
The IRD around the world
For mainland France,
see page 42
Staff
200
IRD centres and offices
60
30
1
local staff
tenured
staff
Other postings