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© IRD/J.-P. Gonzalez
<
Partnerships: an outward-looking organisation
■ In countries of the South
36
■ In the French tropical dependencies
39
■ In mainland France
41
■ In Northern countries and with multilateral
organisations
43
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countries of
■
In countries of the South
■
sub-Saharan Africa
and Indian Ocean
The overall geographical
pattern of IRD activities
Political events in Madagascar in 2002 prevented IRD teams from travelling to research
sites outside the capital and hampered their
activities. Similarly in Côte d’Ivoire, IRD staff
working in Bouaké had to be evacuated.
outside France varied
little in 2002. Three
regional projects on water
were launched in
In Senegal, two agreements were signed in
July: one concerning emerging diseases, with
CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for
International Development) and the Pasteur
Institute, and the other with the Institut
Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN). A consultative meeting with the IRD’s main partner in that
country, the Senegalese agricultural research
institute ISRA, discussed progress being made in
agronomy, hydrology, hydrobiology and fishery
science, and the reconstruction of the Bel-Air
centre in Dakar, including the installation of a
technical platform.
Mediterranean countries,
strengthening the priority
given to the EuroMediterranean-Africa axis.
On behalf of the French
Ministry of Research,
the IRD was heavily
involved in preparing for
the World Summit on
Sustainable Development
in Johannesburg and coordinated the contribution
In Cameroon, the 19th consultative meeting
evaluated and reorganised all the research
actions and projects in that country. At the
same time a consultative meeting was held with
the Organisation for Coordination in Control of
Endemic Diseases in Central Africa (OCEAC).
In South Africa, the IRD took part in the World
Summit on Sustainable Development held in
Johannesburg in September. We were mandated by the French Ministry of Research to
coordinate a presentation of the action of
French research bodies in this field, which took
the form of a publication. During the event, an
IRD mission met the leading actors in South
African research.
In Niger, research and teaching continued with
support from the French Embassy.
In Benin, the increasing momentum of hydrology research was reflected in the AMMA programme (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary
Analysis). Encouraging contacts
were made with public health
actors, on the problems of malaria
and trypanosomiasis.
of French research bodies.
Mediterranean
© IRD/E. Deliry Antheaume
In 2002, the priority given to the
Euro-Mediterranean-Africa axis was
confirmed. Programmes relating to
water are the core of IRD activity in
Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and
Syria. Three regional water programmes were launched with support from the European Union and
the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meeting Jacques Chirac at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development
36
37
© IRD/M.-N. Favier
■
Inauguration of an ecology trail,
Mbour, Senegal
They are wide-ranging in terms of their regional
coverage, partners (IRD, CEMAGREF, CIRAD) and
multi-disciplinary nature. They cover all aspects
of water: environmental (climate change),
assessment of seasonal availability of water, and
social aspects such as distribution in urban areas
and community involvement in irrigation management. The programmes use a model of
complex systems that is also part of a doctoral
course given at Marrakesh.
Human and social issues also loom large in
Egypt, where archaeological, urban and economic research is being carried out as part of
the Barcelona Process or Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership.
partnerships
the South
Latin America
The IRD operates in eight countries in this
region. In 2002, work focused on the regional
aspect of our activities.
With 23 current projects, half of which involve
the Amazon basin, Brazil remains the IRD’s
main partner in the region. A new fisheries project has been set up in Nordeste region with the
Federal University of Pernambuco. Regional cooperation featured the 6th workshop of ECOLAB
(a scientific network for Amazonian coastal
ecosystems) held in September in Belém. A new
framework agreement with the Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation EMBRAPA was
signed on 1 October 2002. In November, the
French Embassy and the Brazilian National
Council for Scientific and Technological
Development (CNPq) held a meeting in Brasilia
for the main players in French-Brazilian scientific
and technological co-operation in order to
structure their exchanges more effectively.
In Chile, activities advanced in four areas: social
sciences, marine sciences, palaeoclimatology,
and Andean tectonics. In marine sciences, a
major regional programme of research into
marine resources is being developed with the
Catholic University of Valparaíso. The scientific
and technical co-operation agreement with
the Chilean National Commission for Scientific
and Technological Research (CONICYT) was
renewed for a further six years. Note that the
IRD representative office and the regional delegations of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the CNRS now occupy the same premises.
In Mexico, the IRD’s second largest partner in
Latin America, co-operation was extended by
five new programmes: three in humanities and
social sciences, two in earth sciences and the
environment. A letter of intention was signed in
November with the Mexican National Council
of Science and Technology (CONACYT) to install
in France an “overseas Mexican laboratory” for
biotechnologies applied to agriculture and the
environment.
In Costa Rica, co-operation with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) continued. The research into pests of tropical farming systems is now reaching completion.
Bolivia has the largest IRD centre in
the Andes. Of thirteen current projects, six concern health. An agreement was signed with the Juan
Misael Saracho Autonomous University in Tarija for a demographic programme. IRD staff did more teaching
work, particularly for the biological
and biomedical sciences master’s
degree at San Andrés University, with
support from the IRD Support and
Training department. There was also
an increase in the demand for consultancy work from Bolivian ministries.
In Colombia, research covers agricultural and microbial biodiversity, urban
dynamics and regional societies in
new situations with regard to identity and
migration. Two new projects have begun: on
rice with the International Centre for Tropical
Agriculture (CIAT), and on the microbial diversity
of thermal springs with the Pontifical Xavierian
University (PUJ).
In Ecuador, the IRD maintained its volume of
research with thirteen current programmes. An
international symposium on the Guatemala
moth (a major potato pest), was held in Quito,
jointly organised with the Catholic Pontifical
University of Ecuador (PUCE); this resulted in a
proposal for an international research project.
Publications were issued in the field of natural
hazards: two volcanic risk maps and a book on
the subject of “Challenges for the Quito metropolitan district”.
© IRD/C. Dejoux
In Morocco, new activities are being developed
in biotechnology for the environment, particularly depollution of vegetable oil refinery waste.
Oats harvest on
the Bolivian Altiplano
<
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countries of the South
■
■
In Peru, earth sciences advanced with new
agreements with the commercial company
Perupetro and the geology, mining and metallurgy institute INGEMMET. Also in the earth
sciences, a hydrology project in the Amazon
basin opened in co-operation with the
national meteorology and hydrology service
SENAMHI. Meanwhile an agreement was signed
with the Centre for Research, Training, Assistance and Promotion (CICAP) for a study of the
state of agriculture in Chiclayo region. In May,
the framework agreement with the National
Council of Sciences and Technologies (CONCYTEC) was renewed for a further five years.
Training in research continues to play a significant part in IRD activity in Peru.
Asia
In Asia, 26 IRD research units were involved in
28 programmes with roughly forty postings and
T HE C HALLENGE P ROGRAM
T
ON
twenty missions in 2002. IRD scientists are at
work in China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Societies and Health department operates in
all these countries and accounts for more than
half the IRD research staff in the region. Although
infectious disease is an important issue in
Thailand, in Southeast Asia as a whole ecosystems and terrestrial resources predominate, while
water and climate research is based in India.
In China, two IRD teams responded to the call
for “networked research” (P2R) proposals issued
by the Chinese programme for management of
social transformations (MOST) and the French
Ministries of Research and Foreign Affairs.
A letter of intention was signed between the
IRD and Sun Yatsen University in Gwangzhou in
June 2002, as was a co-operation agreement
involving Lyon III University. The research is
based at the Franco-Chinese Centre for the
Sociology of Industry and Technology.
W ATER
AND
O TAKE ADVANTAGE of the internationalisation of agricultural
research and meet donors’ expectations, the centres of
the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR) have launched a number of Challenge
Programmes. These CPs are designed to address global challenges in sectors that are part of the CGIAR’s core mission: production of global public goods, poverty reduction, food security.
They bring together the various players involved in international
centres, national structures in the South, research institutes in the
North, and non-governmental organisations.The first programme,
launched by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI),
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In India, the joint committee of the FrancoIndian Water Research Unit (CEFIRSE) met in
October 2002. Also in October a mission was
sent out for the IRD-Jawaharlal Nehru University
study of Himalayan glacier hydrology and climatology. The study of micro-finance systems in
southeast India began in April 2002 with an
economist seconded from the French Institute
in Pondicherry.
In Indonesia, an agreement was signed in May
2002 with the research agency of the Ministry
of Fisheries & Maritime Affairs to continue the
work on biodiversity and catfish farming, which
began with European funding in 1996, under
the title Catfish Asia. ■
Handicraft in Thailand
F OOD
is on “Water and Food”. Water management is becoming increasingly difficult. In the 20th century, the world’s population increased
threefold and the use of potable water sixfold; some 80% of it is
used in agriculture. This presents a huge challenge: how to produce more food with less water in a manner that is both environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable.
The programme is structured by theme and by river basin:
- the five research themes are crop water productivity improvement, multiple use of upper catchments, aquatic ecosystems and
fisheries, integrated basin water management systems, and the
global and national food and water system;
- benchmark basins are areas where water resources are under
strain and incomes are low. Phase I addresses the Yellow River
basin, the Mekong, the Indo-Gangetic system, the Nile, Limpopo
and Volta in Africa, the Karkheh basin in Iran, São Francisco in
Brazil, and the Andean basins.
The initial budget for CP Water and Food is estimated at US$82
million, of which 75% is to be awarded by competitive grants, the
rest being spent on preparation, monitoring, reporting and extension work. The IRD is the only European research body in the managing consortium, which launched a call for concept notes in
December 2002.
© IRD/S. Carrière
■
partnerships
tropical dependencies
In the French tropical dependencies
on the South American continent
Because of its location, the IRD centre in French
Guiana is in a privileged position for intensive
cooperation with Brazil, Surinam and Guyana.
For example, the joint research unit CELIA is
involved in a number of partnerships working
on the management of multilingual situations
in schools and the difficulties pupils in French
Guiana have in learning French.
The IRD is also working with its C3I partners and
the other research institutes in Guiana to draw
up a research, training and applications proposal for the French Guiana university centre
(Pôle universitaire de Guyane, PUG).
in the Caribbean
The IRD Martinique-Caribbean centre has three
laboratories. The soil science laboratory and the
nematology laboratory work in close collaboration with partners at PRAM in Martinique (Pôle
de recherche agronomique de la Martinique),
while the third, the social sciences laboratory, is
partnered with Antilles-Guyane University.
The research units working in health and social
sciences (UR029 and UR093) are partnered with
La Réunion University and the regional health
and social affairs authority (DRASS).
dependencies in 2002.
the joint committee of the four
Since the redeployment of the IRD’s Reunion
Island centre in 2001, the teams on site have
been consolidated and have developed valuable
partnerships.
French research bodies for the
overseas dependencies (CIRAD,
IFREMER, INRA and the IRD).
The research units ACTIVE (UR061), CYANO
(UR099) and THETIS (UR109) work on fishery and
The purpose is to provide expert
marine environments with partners in the
island’s deep sea fishing industry, La Réunion
University, Toulouse University, ARVAM (Agence
pour la recherche et la valorisation marine), IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation
of the Sea), CNES (National Centre for Space
Studies), the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission
(IOTC), NASA and the company CLS, producer of
Argos beacons.
advice for local authorities,
collaborate with universities
and other research bodies in
the dependencies and establish
partnerships with neighbouring
countries.
PRAM , THE M ARTINIQUE A GRICULTURAL R ESEARCH C ENTRE
NAUGURATED
© IRD/M.-N. Favier
I
in the French tropical overseas
The Institute chaired “C3I”,
in the Indian Ocean
on 18 October 2002, PRAM has researchers from four French government research bodies: the
agriculture and environment engineering research institute CEMAGREF, CIRAD (Agricultural Research Centre
for International Development), INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) and the IRD. Its research
programmes, some cross-cutting and others sectoral, focus on the following themes:
- crop diversification (pineapple, banana, fruit tree
- soil properties and structures,
farming, vegetables etc.),
- plant protection,
- animal production, animal health.
- agriculture and environment,
- socio-economic trends in the farming world,
The IRD was particularly active
On Réunion Island
<
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tropical dependencies
■
■
in the Pacific
New Caledonia
The Nouméa centre is the IRD’s biggest establishment in the overseas dependencies. It has
13 research units and 5 service units working
in a number of disciplines. Research projects
include plant symbioses, tropical tuna and plant
biodiversity.
Partners include French institutions (e.g. University of New Caledonia, IFREMER, Pasteur Institute and CNRS) and institutions from elsewhere
in the region such as the Secretariat of the
Community of the Pacific, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia), the Agence universitaire de la
Francophonie, the University of Hawaii and
Kyushu University.
Among recent research results, research unit
UR037 has developed applications in connection
with prospecting for nickel deposits. This
research also advances rehabilitation of mining
sites by revegetation.
Also involved in the revegetation work is
the IRD service unit ENBIOPAC (US001), which
altogether has five programmes under way
on biodiversity and terrestrial environment
in the tropical Pacific. Another concerns
natural terrestrial substances and traditional
knowledge.
The pharmaceutical chemistry of natural
marine substances is the focus of research
by a joint team of the IRD’s UR152 and the
University of New Caledonia, in partnership
with Pierre Fabre Laboratories. The team
particularly aims to find, among the many
substances produced by marine inverte-
40
41
brates, molecules that can be used against diseases such as malaria, dengue, cancer and diseases of the nervous system.
The Géosciences Azur joint research unit is conducting multidisciplinary research into movements of the Earth’s crust and their associated
hazards in Vanuatu, Futuna and New Caledonia.
Under the National Coastal Environments
Programme (PNEC), UR103 has conducted several surveys aboard the IRD’s oceanographic vessel Alis, studying the transport of terrestrial and
human particles, particularly in the lagoons of
Nouméa and Fiji. In Fiji, the work is conducted
in close co-operation with the University of the
South Pacific, under the aegis of the French
Embassy in Fiji.
Under the national climate dynamics research
programme PNEDC, UR065 is studying climate
variability while UR055 researches into palaeoclimates. Both teams are studying living corals
to discover more about interactions between
the climatic phenomenon known as El Niño
Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the region’s
environment.
The New Caledonia image processing laboratory LATICAL, a joint service unit between the IRD
(UR140) and the University of New Caledonia, is
developing environmental information systems
for sustainable development of water resources,
particularly in the Loyalty Islands.
On the archaeology side, UR092 is studying
ancient human settlements on volcanic islands
in the Western and Central Pacific.
The Nouméa centre also provides research
training for French and foreign students and
young researchers. Trainees join and work with
the teams. Their status depends on their prior
© IRD/A. S. Lepetit
■
qualifications: they may be interns, research
scholarship students, or doctoral or postdoctoral fellows.
French Polynesia
Work in French Polynesia involves the C3I co-operation committee and collaboration with other
research bodies. One example is the scientific and
logistical partnership with INSERM’s Gustave
Roussy Institute to study thyroid cancer.
The IRD’s oceanographic vessel Alis carried out
several missions in Polynesia in 2002. ■
Revegetation
in New Caledonia
partnerships
mainland France
Mainland France
joint research units
Over the years, IRD partnerships with other
French research bodies and higher education
establishments have become increasingly varied
and productive.
The most visible sign of this is the increasing
number of joint research units (UMRs). To date,
17 of the IRD’s 97 research units are UMRs. In
4 of them the IRD is the only research body,
in 13 at least one university is involved, and in
5 a grande école, either ENSAM or ENS.
federative research institutes
Federative Research Institutes (IFRs) are a new
form of structure launched in 2000. They comprise scientific teams and resources from various
research bodies and universities, initially in life
sciences. Since the scheme’s extension to cover
environmental issues, the IRD has been more
involved: we now work in ten IFRs, some thirty
IRD units being directly involved.
à disposition or délégation). In each case, the
IRD covers the expatriation costs for staff posted
outside France.
This year the IRD hosted 48 researchers and lecturer-researchers.
the IRD and higher education
The IRD fosters personal ties with higher education establishments. IRD researchers are heavily
involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities, both for initial
and in-service training. Most IRD research units
are recognised as research training bodies and
work with doctoral schools. In 2002, 400 doctoral students were supervised by IRD researchers.
E NVIRONMENTAL
T
OBSERVATORIES
HE IRD continues the observational
mission it began fifty years ago.
In 2002, the Ministry of Research
launched the Environmental
Research Observatories (ORE) project, and
the IRD was deeply involved from the outset.
The French national co-ordinating committee for earth and environmental sciences,
which assesses research, has validated 27
ORE projects, of which 6 are headed by the
IRD and one is jointly run with INRA.
The seven observatories involve a significant
proportion of the IRD’s human resources:
75 researchers, engineers and technicians
from 14 units. A dozen French universities
and research centres and some 40 institutions in partner countries are involved. Sites
are located throughout the tropics, and priority themes are water resources, soil and
climate. These observatories are only a
beginning. The IRD’s association with other
French and international partners should
make it possible for some OREs to tackle
new projects addressing issues in the life
sciences, medical research and human and
social sciences.
We strongly encourage our researchers to obtain
the post-doctorate qualification for research
supervision; they can then go on to qualify as
university teachers, and an increasing number
of them now do so.
co-operation agreements
universe sciences observatories
The IRD works directly with universities and the
CNRS in four Universe Sciences Observatories:
OSUG in Grenoble, the Midi-Pyrénées observatory in Toulouse, the Marseille Oceanography
centre and the Oceanological Institute in
Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Alongside the creation of new units, since 1998
the IRD has been making agreements with other
French institutions for general scientific and
technical co-operation. This covers joint research
work, support for Southern teams and training
for foreign students. More than 50 of these
agreements are currently in force. ■
hosting researchers
© IRD/A. Rival
Researchers and lecturer-researchers from other
French research bodies and universities are
hosted by the IRD under varying compensation
and benefit arrangements (détachement, mise
Greenhouse at the IRD’s Montpellier centre
<
>
IRD STAFF IN MAINLAND FRANCE
Bordeaux / Talence / Pessac
■
- Maison des Suds : 3
- Centre d’économie du développement, université Montesquieu : 1
- Département de géologie et océanographie, université Bordeaux I : 1
■
Brest
- Laboratoire de physique des océans,
université de Bretagne occidentale : 1
■
Clermont-Ferrand
- Laboratoire Magmas et volcans,
université B. Pascal : 2
Grenoble / Le Bourget du Lac /
Thonon-les-bains
- Laboratoire d’études des transferts en
hydrologie, université J. Fourier : 11
- Laboratoire de géophysique interne et
de tectonophysique
/ site de l’université de Savoie : 2
/ site de l’université J. Fourier : 1
- Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique
de l’environnement, université
J. Fourier : 2
- Agence nationale pour la valorisation de
la recherche : 1
- Centre alpin de recherche sur les réseaux
trophiques des écosystèmes limniques,
université de Savoie : 1
Lyon
- Laboratoire d’écologie des hydrosystèmes,
université C. Bernard : 4
- Laboratoire d’écologie microbienne,
université C. Bernard : 2
at 31 December 2002
- Institut fédératif de recherche de
biotechnologie agro-industrielle de
Marseille, universités de Provence et
de Méditerranée : 19
- Laboratoire population environnement,
université de Provence : 15
- Centre d’océanologie de Marseille,
université de Méditerranée : 5
- Laboratoire “Sociologie, histoire, anthropologie des dynamiques culturelles”,
EHESS : 4
- Faculté de médecine, université de
Méditerranée : 2
- Centre de formation et de recherche en
médecine et santé tropicales, université
de Méditerranée : 1
- Groupement de recherche en économie
quantitative d’Aix-Marseille, universités
de Méditerranée et d’Aix-Marseille : 1
- Laboratoire “Téléanalyse, espace et
société” : 1
- Laboratoire “Temps, espaces, langages,
Europe méridionale et Méditerranée”,
université de Provence : 1
- Cemagref : 6
- Institut d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux : 6
- Laboratoire matières organiques des sols
tropicaux, CIRAD : 6
- Laboratoire symbioses tropicales et
méditerranéennes, campus de
Baillarguet : 6
- CIRAD Montpellier : 5
- École nationale du génie rural, des eaux
et des forêts : 4
- Centre d’écologie fonctionnelle évolutive,
université Montpellier II : 3
- Agropolis : 2
- Département des maladies infectieuses,
institut Bouisson-Bertrand : 1
- Institut agronomique méditerranéen de
Montpellier, Centre international des
hautes études agronomiques méditerranéennes : 1
- Laboratoire génomes populations
interactions adaptation, université
Montpellier II : 1
- Laboratoire rétrovirus, université
Montpellier I : 1
Montpellier
Nancy
- Maison des sciences de l’eau, université
Montpellier II : 18
- Centre de biologie et de gestion des
populations : 10
- Laboratoire d’étude des interactions
entre sol, agrosystème et hydrosystème,
ENSAM : 7
- Centre de recherches pétrographiques et
géochimiques : 1
Marseille / Aix-en-Provence
Nice / Villefranche-sur-Mer /
Sophia Antipolis
- Géosciences Azur, université Nice Sophia Antipolis : 11
Pau
- Université de Pau : 1
Perpignan
- Université de Perpignan : 2
Sète
- Centre de recherche halieutique méditerranéenne et tropicale : 15
St-Christol-lès-Alès
- Laboratoire de pathologie comparée : 1
Strasbourg
- Institut de physique du globe,
université L. Pasteur : 2
- Centre de géochimie de la surface,
université L. Pasteur : 1
- Centre de géographie appliquée,
université L. Pasteur : 1
Toulouse / Castanet Tolosan /
Castres
- Laboratoire “Mécanismes et transferts
en géologie”, université P. Sabatier : 14
- Laboratoire d’études en géophysique
et océanographie spatiales, université
P. Sabatier : 9
- Centre d’études spatiales de
la biosphère, université P. Sabatier : 4
- Faculté de pharmacie, université
P. Sabatier : 3
- GIP Medias France : 2
- Groupement de recherches géodésiques
spatiales : 2
- Laboratoire de biologie moléculaire
CNRS-INRA, Castanet Tolosan : 2
- Laboratoire d’hydrobiologie, université
P. Sabatier : 1
- Pierre Fabre Médicaments, Castres : 1
42
43
Paris / Île-de-France
- Muséum national d’histoire naturelle : 18
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie Dynamique
et de Climatologie, université
P. & M. Curie : 12
- Centre d’études africaines : 8
- GIS “Développement et insertion internationale” : 7
- Laboratoire Populations, génétique et
évolution, CNRS Gif-sur-Yvette : 6
- Centre d’économie et d’éthique pour
l’environnement et le développement,
université Versailles
St-Quentin-en-Yvelines : 5
- Centre “Population et développement”,
Vincennes : 5
- Institut biomédical des Cordeliers,
université P. & M. Curie : 5
- ENS Ulm : 3
- Faculté de pharmacie, université
P. & M. Curie : 3
- Centre d’étude de l’Inde et de l’Asie
du Sud : 2
- Centre d’études et de recherches en
économie du développement, université
Paris X Nanterre : 2
- Laboratoire de minéralogie et de cristallographie, université P. & M. Curie : 2
- Agence française de l’ingénierie touristique :1
- Centre de recherche et de documentation sur l’Amérique latine : 1
- CIRAD Paris : 1
- Comité international de coopération
dans les recherches nationales en
démographie : 1
- École française d’Extrême-Orient : 1
- Faculté de pharmacie, université Paris
Sud : 1
- Institut d’étude du développement
économique et social, université
Panthéon-Sorbonne : 1
- Institut français d’urbanisme, université
Vincennes St-Denis : 1
- Institut national d’agronomie ParisGrignon : 1
- Institut scientifique et technique de la
nutrition et de l’alimentation, CNAM : 1
- Laboratoire “Langues et civilisations à
tradition orale”, CNRS Villejuif : 1
- Laboratoire “Préhistoire et technologie”,
CNRS Meudon : 1
- Laboratoire “Structure et fonctionnement
des systèmes hydriques continentaux”,
université P. & M. Curie : 1
- Laboratoire d’écologie végétale,
université Paris sud : 1
- Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de
l’environnement, CEA Gif-sur-Yvette : 1
- Laboratoire Géotropiques, université
Paris X Nanterre : 1
- Laboratoire inter-universitaire des systèmes atmosphérique, université Paris XII
Val-de-Marne : 1
- Laboratoire Paléontologie et stratigraphie, université P. & M. Curie : 1
- Maison René Ginouvès d’archéologie et
d’ethnologie : 1
OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (GIS),
PARTNERSHIPS OF PUBLIC INTEREST (GIP), RESEARCH GROUPS (GDR),
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL PROGRAMMES
PARTNERSHIPS
The IRD is actively involved in various forms of partnership within the French scientific community. These take the form of partnerships of scientific interest (GIS),
public interest (GIP) or economic interest (GIE), research groups and regional and
national multidisciplinary programmes.
PARTNERSHIPS
OF SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (GIS)
PUBLIC INTEREST (GIP) AND ECONOMIC INTEREST (GIE)
(these are forms of research partnership with a particular legal status in France)
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIS
GIP
GIP
GIP
GIP
GIE
Aire développement: overseas research investment agency
Aquaculture: tropical and Mediterranean aquaculture
BRG: genetic resources bureau
Ceped: centre for population and development
Dial: development and international integration
Génoplante: plant genomics
IDDRI: institute for sustainable development and international relations
Réseau Amérique latine: promoting and disseminating Latin-American research
Sciences de l'eau: hydrobiology, water quality, water treatment, quantative
hydrology
Silvolab: tropical rainforest ecosystems: physical and biological bases of their
functioning and management, as applied to French Guiana
Ecofor: forest ecosystems
Medias-France: network for regional research into environmental changes in
the Mediterranean basin and subtropical Africa
Mercator: oceanic and climatic forecasting
OST: science and technology monitoring
Genavir: management of oceanographic survey vessels
RESEARCH
PARTNERSHIPS
GDR Marges: dyanmics of continental plate margins
NATIONAL
PNEDC:
PROOF:
PNEC:
PNRH:
PNRN:
PNSE:
PNTS:
LITEAU:
PROGRAMMES
climate dynamics
biochemical processes in the ocean, fluxes
coastal studies
hydrology
natural hazards
soils and erosion
space-based remote sensing
littoral zone
REGIONAL
PROGRAMMES
ZONECO: inventory of marine and mineral resources in the New Caledonia
exclusive economic zone
ZEPOLYF: economic zone of French Polynesia
partnerships
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Northern countries
In Northern countries and with multilateral organisations
In 2002, the Institute co-ordinated or participated in 20 EU projects (up from 19 in 2001),
mainly on water, health and living resources.
The European Framework Research and Development Programme (FRDP) remains the Institute’s principal target, in particular its International Co-operation programme (INCO), under
which 33% of the projects submitted by the IRD
obtain funding. In the last two calls for proposals, seven of the Institute’s projects were
selected (five on health and two on water), four
of which it is co-ordinating (two in sub-Saharan
Africa and two in countries of the Mediterranean Basin).
Under the FRDP Environment and Sustainable
Development programme, four projects (three
on water and one on biodiversity) and one
accompanying measure on water received
funding.
Under the Quality of Life and Management
of Living Resources (LIFE) programme, the IRD
is co-ordinating two projects (fishing and
Y OUNG
tuberculosis) and taking part in three others
(fishery and biodiversity).
The Institute prepared for the launch of the
sixth Framework Programme. The Europe
Mission organised information meetings on priority themes and how to respond to calls for
proposals. It also implemented a support mechanism for drafting research projects. Six projects
were tendered in response to calls for proposals
in late 2002.
At the request of the European Commission,
the Institute played a significant role in the conference on research co-operation between the
European Union and the African-CaribbeanPacific (ACP) countries, which was held in South
Africa; and one of the Institute’s units conducted an evaluation of Moroccan research.
international agricultural research
centres
Co-operation with nine of the sixteen centres
in the Consultative Group for International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR) involved forty
EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS TRAINED AT THE IRD
Alessandra Ribodetti, a young PhD in marine geoscience, was awarded a European
Union post-doctoral grant and was supervised by researchers from the IRD.
I
DID MY PHD through a Franco-Italian co-operation programme. I was keen to pursue my research, so I
applied for a European grant to do a post-doc in an
internationally recognised laboratory. I started my
grant at the École des Mines in Paris, then came to the
Géosciences Azur joint research unit, where I worked
with researchers from the IRD.
My area is seismic imaging of the earth’s crust and its
applications for surveying risk areas. I really appreciated having quality resources and equipment for my
work. What’s more, I was fully integrated into a team,
which is essential in research. The quality of the supervision was excellent and I enjoyed genuine synergy with
my colleagues. Working in another country is also a key
asset for anyone beginning a career in research these
days. ■
researchers. Twenty-seven of them were
assigned to international agricultural research
centres (IARCs) and thirteen were involved in
“shuttle research” or in one of the two new
programmes conducted at the Agropolis
advanced research platform in Montpellier –
“rice virus pathogenesis” and “techniques for
analysing resistance to cassava blight”.
This co-operation has several focuses:
- maintaining co-operation on genetic resources
(Latin America and Africa);
The Institute continues to be
an active partner of the European
Commission and international
agricultural research centres,
particularly since the launch
of the CGIAR’s Challenge
Programmes.
- strengthening research on natural resources,
in particular in the area of water and soil management (mainly in South and South-East Asia);
- the development of “shuttle” research programmes aimed at extending or enhancing
work already accomplished under a co-operation programme with an IARC, by enabling
researchers to travel to each other’s facilities;
- increased involvement in training of local
researchers, thus helping to build local scientific
capacity and promote French approaches and
methodologies (nine PhDs, four Masters and
several post-doctoral diplomas).
Co-operation with IARCs also included the
implementation of a new form of partnership,
the Challenge Programmes, which involve
Southern actors and Northern research organisations more closely. The IRD was a driving force
behind the implementation of the first of these,
the Water and Food Programme, in which we
are the only European research organisation.
We are taking an active part in the programme
on Africa. ■
© IRD/Ph. Chevalier
European Union