> Oasis of Tamerza / Tunisia
aird, an agency which
is becoming established
research projects
capacity-building
in developing countries
promoting the results
of research programmes
disseminating knowledge and
communicating information
42
44
46
48
50
the agence
inter-établissements
de recherche pour
le développement
AIRD, the agency for inter-institutional development research,
has been incorporated within IRD as a Senior Management
Team since 1st January 2011. At the crossroads between national
research and innovation strategy and French policy for assistance
in development, its purpose is to co-create a knowledge-based
society in developing countries.
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 41
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • Aird, An AgenCy WHiCH is BeCoMing estABlisHed
aird, an agency
which is becoming
established
FOCUS
The Agency’s strategy is based on three pillars:
developing inter-institutional programmes;
supporting partnered teams in developing countries;
and working in such a way as to combine training,
research and innovation. The main beneficiaries of
these actions are the teams in developing countries
and ministerial supervisory bodies.
> Responsible for strategic guidance
and coordination
AIRD’s main goal is to mobilise research and higher learning institutions, in addition to all other relevant institutions,
regarding any development-related scientific issues and to coordinate discussions on these subjects. This mobilisation also
aims to harmonise positions, coordinate projects and ensure
the visibility and consistency of actions geared to research for
development, both in developed and developing countries. With
this in mind, the Agency has established strategic guidance and
coordination tools focusing on issues of development: the Coordination Committee (CoCoor) and the Advisory Board (COrA).
The CoCoor is made up of the founding members1 of AIRD
and enables the exchange of information regarding activities
and programmes focusing on research for development. Its
achievements in 2012 included the partnership charter for
research for development, the incubation and monitoring of
several major projects, the gradual opening of AIRD instruments
to the founding members and the contribution to the national
conference for higher learning and research (ES&R).
The COrA, a body for discussions and exchanges between
> Agroforest on Java island / Indonesia
> Work in partnership / South Africa
the partnership charter
The partnership charter for development research aims to
promote fair, balanced partnership relationships based on
reciprocal commitments with a view to reinforcing, through
research, training and innovation initiatives, public policies
that favour the development of developing countries. AIRD
members and Alliance members, in addition to partners
in developing or European countries, are authorised
to sign this charter.
contact
dgdagence@ird.fr
page 42
IRD • AnnuAl report 2012
developed and developing countries focusing on the issues of
partnership and cooperation, has established three working
groups dealing respectively with the impact of research for
development, changes in partnership methods and innovation. These working groups were expanded to include Allenvi
– the national research alliance for the environment – and the
Institute for sustainable development and international
relations (IDDRI).
Furthermore, the members of COrA’s “collège Sud” paid
a contribution to the ES&R Conference and the Conference on
development and international solidarity.
> National partnerships
The agency has consolidated its corporate positioning
alongside the French National Research Agency (ANR) by implementing joint programmes where ANR funds teams in developed
countries and AIRD those in developing countries. The Agrobiosphere programme dedicated to an improved understanding of
the ecological functioning of productive systems is one example
1. Cirad, CNRS, CPU, Inserm, Institut Pasteur and IRD.
FOCUS
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • Aird, An AgenCy WHiCH is BeCoMing estABlisHed
diversify and organise the subregional strategy and policy regarding research for development, by encouraging its appropriation
by the private sector and more widely by civil society to meet
the expectations of the states and populations; and lastly, to
contribute to the establishment of a platform for discussions
between Ministries responsible for research and innovation in
the CEEAC member states.
The main areas concerned are forest monitoring and protection, agriculture and agroforestry, public health and the fight
against emerging diseases, industry, energy and transport, economic and social sciences, education and training.
Lastly, as part of the assistance provided to help rebuild a
higher learning and research system in Haiti, AIRD – in association with the Agence universitaire de la francophonie – was the
project manager for the PENDHA programme. Twelve digital
spaces for distance learning, material, educational content and
training for trainers were all provided to university websites
in Haiti.
> PENDHA digital workspace / Haiti
pendha: plan of digital distance
training in haiti
PENDHA is a joint project between the French Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, AIRD and the Agence universitaire de
la francophonie, established following the earthquake
which occurred in Haiti in 2010. It is intended to provide
considerable support to help rebuild the Haitian university
system through the deployment and coordination of
a network of 17 digital spaces, of which five are
dedicated to medicine and health sciences.
of this. AIRD has also approached ANR about becoming involved
in its programmes focused on the priority subject areas in developing countries: the sustainable territories of developing
countries, the sustainable management of soil and water, the
control of bio-energies in developing countries, ecotoxicology
in cities and outlying suburbs, and the establishment of centres
and networks to research and monitor emerging diseases in developing countries. Created in order to address these priorities,
the Transmed programme for cross-disciplinary research on the
Mediterranean region is currently being set up and involves AIRD
in capacity-building actions. Two other programmes are being
incubated, of which one concerns bio-energies.
In addition, a cooperation agreement with the French
Development Agency (AFD) was signed on 16 May 2012. It
focuses in particular on the definition, funding, coordination and
> Research on emerging diseases / Réunion
assessment of activities related to training, expertise, economic
development and the dissemination of knowledge. AFD was the
first partner to sign the partnership agreement.
2. Centre for management and strategic studies (CGEE) and National council for scientific and
technological development (CNPq).
3. Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad.
.
> Signing of the CRIFDAC / Gabon
> Partnerships in developing countries
The unique nature of AIRD, a common portal for research
players in developing countries, enabled it to sign several international institutional agreements.
The scientific and technical cooperation with the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall for the implementation of
a programme to fight desertification is one such an example.
This partnership was extended by a tripartite agreement which
also involved Brazil2.
Furthermore, an agreement creating the Consortium for
research, innovation and training for development in Central
Africa (CRIFDAC) was signed on 7 November 2012 between AIRD
and the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC)3
in order to bring consistency to existing research, training and
innovation programmes for development in Central Africa; to
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 43
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • reseArCH proJeCts
research
projects
FOCUS
One of the Agency’s missions is to help develop excellence
in research activities regarding the issues of developing
countries and aimed at developing the countries and
regions concerned. This is achieved through the co-creation
of research programmes based on the requirements of
developing countries and capacity-building, particularly
in terms of training, balanced partnerships and the joint
publication of research results.
programme to support networkbased research in africa
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) is home to
more than 10% of the world’s population but to only
0.6% of the world’s researchers. Although some teams
are producing excellent results, they are also forced to
deal with several difficulties. With €1.9m in funding from
the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs over three years,
PARRAF will support networks aimed at the emergence of
major collective projects such as regional doctoral schools
and master’s degrees, the structuring of responses to
international calls for projects, the provision of collegial
expertise and efforts to implement transfer
and innovation systems.
contact
dpf@ird.fr
page 44
IRD • AnnuAl report 2012
> Food security / Niger
> Programmes and project engineering
AIRD has undertaken to mobilise its founding members
through multiannual programmes based on the major and priority scientific fields outlined in the performance contract: climate
change and the environment; biodiversity; health; agriculture
and food safety; human and social sciences.
Most of these research programmes include a section for capacity-building, a section for promotion and a section for knowledge dissemination. They are financed by a seed fund from the
French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, which enables
external co-funding to be obtained from the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, private and public foundations, development
and research agencies, its founders, and more.
Thus, the Agency is endeavouring to set up and implement
research and capacity-building projects in order to foster the
coordination and pooling of instruments and platforms in developing countries. Throughout 2011 and 2012, 32 research
> Wind mills / New Caledonia
programmes conducted in partnership between developed and
developing countries were active in the areas of desertification,
animal, plant or microbial biodiversity, forest management,
the health of populations and poverty, urban ecotoxicology,
agronomy and food, water and soil management, energy, space
and computer sciences.
Several research programmes funded by the Priority
Solidarity Fund (FSP) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
were completed in 2012. They represented average annual
outstandings of over !2.5 million. Other projects were also
completed, whether in collaboration with ANR or the founders
of AIRD, in particular in the field of health.
New projects have been launched, establishing the Agency
as a major player, particularly in Africa: that is the case of the
tripartite Africa-Brazil-France programme regarding the “Fight
against desertification” or the trilateral research programme
between Africa, Germany and France.
This international confirmation of AIRD’s role is coupled
with the strengthening of its national cooperation. In addition
to the consolidation of its partnerships with ANR and AFD, AIRD
was entrusted with the management of a new FSP for research
networks in Africa (PARRAF) by the French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Furthermore, it was especially active in the area of health
through discussions on research and monitoring centres (CRVs –
Centres de recherche et de veille) regarding emerging diseases in the
Indian Ocean, Asia and Guiana, as well as agronomy, with the
implementation of the Agroforestry programme.
> Coordination of and participation
in European programmes
The agency plays a major role in the coordination and
organisation of research programmes for national development
within a European context and in raising public awareness of
its importance within the European research area. It supports
research teams in their responses to calls for tender and is
involved in networks and structures of reflection which help
establish European research agendas.
As such, it provided considerable support to the preparation
and monitoring of projects designed in close collaboration with
developing countries, in particular as part of the 7th FPRD. The
Agency continued its work on the subject in three directions: monitoring the calls for tender of the FPRD and of the General Directorate for scientific and technological development, providing
advice and project engineering to researchers for the coordination
of and participation in consortiums, ensuring the engineering,
completion and administrative management of corporate projects.
AIRD is a stakeholder in 10 European projects, of which
6 involve coordination activities. These projects include the !10m
NOPOOR project on poverty, which allocates !8m to community
contribution and brings together a consortium of 19 European,
African, Latin American and Southeast Asian research organisations (17 countries).
FOCUS
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • reseArCH proJeCts
fighting poverty:
the nopoor project
NOPOOR is a European project coordinated by the
Development, Institutions and Globalisation laboratory
(DIAL - IRD Joint Research Unit / Université Paris
Dauphine), over a five-year period. By using a variety of
approaches (economics, sociology, political science, etc.)
and methodologies (surveys, econometric studies, case
studies, etc.), NOPOOR aims to identify the key mechanisms
which explain the persistence and exacerbation of poverty
in developing countries. The emphasis is placed on
relations with policy makers in these countries, in order to
provide them with tools to increase the effectiveness of
policies against poverty and help achieve the Millennium
Development Goals.
> Study of aquatic ecosystems / Morocco
> Precarious habitat / Vietnam
a new research and monitoring
centre in southeast asia
AIRD co-managed the organisation in Cambodia (early 2012)
of a scientific meeting in preparation of the implementation
of a research programme regarding infectious encephalitis
and a research and monitoring centre in Southeast Asia.
The work performed collectively resulted in the preparation
of a partnership research programme and the establishment
of a regional centre for the study of emerging pathogens
in Southeast Asia, which will be located within the
Institut Pasteur in Cambodia.
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 45
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • CApACity-Building in developing Countries
capacity-building
in developing
countries
AIRD is implementing specific programmes aimed at
capacity-building for individuals, research teams and
partner institutions. These programmes are gradually
opening up to the agency’s founding members.
contact
sud.formation@ird.fr
> Supporting individual training
In order to support and prepare young researchers to integrate
the higher education and research system of a developing country
following their doctoral degree, AIRD has introduced research grants
in developing countries (ARTS - Allocations de recherche pour une thèse au
Sud). These grants apply to doctoral students working on a thesis as
part of a research collaboration between one team from a developing
country and another from a developed country. Thirty grants were
allocated in 2012, which brings their total number to 127.
In addition, Cirad has entrusted the Agency with the
management of its doctoral grants in developing countries.
A second call for tender launched by the Developing Country
Doctoral Student (DDS - Doctorant du Sud) programme enabled
15 new doctoral students to be selected, bringing the total number
of grant students to 25. Agreements have also been signed with
CNRS and the Mérieux Foundation to co-fund doctoral grants
in developing countries (respectively 2 and 4 grants per year).
> Hydrology field school / Cameroon
The scientific and technological exchange scholarships (BEST Bourses d’échange scientifique et technologique) are aimed at hosting
researchers, engineers and technicians from developing countries
in research or higher learning institutions. Thirty-five BEST
scholarships are underway, of which 18 were allocated in 2012.
> Supporting research teams
Support for emerging teams in developing countries is also
vital to increase the autonomy and international competitiveness
of our partners.
The Young AIRD Teams (JEAI - Jeunes équipes AIRD) Programme is
intended to promote the emergence or strengthening of research
teams in developing countries within the framework of scientific
partnerships with research units operating under the authority
of one or more AIRD members. There are currently 47 JEAI teams,
including 8 new teams selected in 2012.
In order to encourage or support the implementation of excellent scientific strategies, 7 new projects have been incorporated into
the Programme for Excellence in Education and Research in Developing Countries (PEERS - Programme d’excellence pour l’enseignement et
la recherche au Sud). This system is intended to support North/South
two-person teams comprised of experienced teacher-researchers
managing a research project which includes a significant training
component. Thirteen PEERS are currently underway.
> Supporting partners in the development of
their higher education and research system
page 46
The Actions thématiques structurantes (structural topic-based
actions) Programme supports scientific communities in developing countries in their search for internal development,
autonomy and international recognition, and in the development
of synergies and collaborative networks between developed and
developing countries, as well as between two or more developing
countries. It has enabled the co-funding of 17 collective projects
conducted in developing countries (creation of networks, training workshops, topic-based, doctoral or summer schools, etc.).
Furthermore, AIRD is coordinating at the European level
a programme for the management and promotion of research
results in the field of food safety in West Africa (GVal-Sécurité alimentaire). Training focused on the drafting of scientific projects,
aimed at Department Heads of Abdou Moumouni University in
Niamey, was provided within this framework.
IRD • AnnuAl report 2012
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • CApACity-Building in developing Countries
Morocco
3 1
Mexico
2 Haiti
Senegal
1
Costa Rica
2
1
Ecuador
1
5
4
1
4
1
Venezuela
Côte d’Ivoire
1
10
2 2
1 9
1
3
1
4
1
2
Burkina Faso
2
3
3 4
6
1
1
3
4
1 Algeria
1
1
Mali
2
4
2
1
3
7
1
12
Cameroon
1
1
1
4
Thailand
1 Uganda
2
1
Laos
1
2 India
Niger
8
2 3 3
Benin
2 Egypt
2
1 1
Togo
1
1 Syria
1 Lebanon
8 Tunisia
5
Ghana
Colombia
1
Peru
1
Mauritania 1
Cuba
1
1
1
2
11
Vietnam
1
2 Kenya
1 Seychelles
Gabon
1 Comoros
1
Malaysia
1
1
Indonesia
Brazil
1
2
1 1
1
Mozambique
Bolivia
1
2
1
1
4
Madagascar
1
South Africa
Chile
1
1
Argentina
geographic
representation of
capacity-building
JeAi
peers
dds
Arts
Best
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 47
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • proMoting tHe results of reseArCH progrAMMes
promoting
theresultsof
research
programmes
The initial workshop was held on 20 September in N’Djamena
in the presence of the Commission’s Executive Secretary, the
Ambassador of France to Chad and the Chairman of IRD.
Fifteen institutional consultancies were provided at the
request of State administrations, public authorities and development agencies. They concern a wide variety of subjects, such as
the assessment of scientific work conducted by French research
organisations in the areas of climate change and biodiversity
in Latin America, the analysis of the health situation in Nimba
County (Liberia), and even a study of trees outside forests conducted
as part of the assessment of global forest resources by the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The findings of research focused on developing
countries, conducted in the political or socio-economic
fields, are promoted through expert assignments,
actions aimed at protecting intellectual property and
technology transfer, numerous collaborations with
industrial partners and support for business creation.
> Intellectual property and technology
FOCUS
transfer
the “valorisation Sud” theme-based
technology transfer consortium
(CVT)
“Valorisation Sud” is intended to boost the transfer of
knowledge and technologies adapted to tropical and
equatorial regions and to countries on their way to joining
the world economy. In close collaboration with technology
transfer acceleration companies, France Brevet, development
structures and the 5 other CVTs, some twenty agents will
offer customised services: assistance in intellectual
property management; creation of a patent portfolio with
a dissemination contract; technology marketing
and promotion; pre-industrial maturation, project
management, licensing agreements; and advice
for innovative business creation.
contact
dvs@ird.fr
page 48
IRD • AnnuAl report 2012
> Forest resources in an urban environment / India
> Collegial expertise and consultancy
Collegial expertise consists of making the most recent scientific knowledge available to decision-makers and leaders in developing countries, in order to guide policy decisions and public
discussions regarding major contemporary development issues. It
is intended to provide – at the request of one or more sponsors – a
multidisciplinary scientific analysis regarding a specific subject.
The Agency has finalised and produced collegial expertise
before the Egyptian Court of Cassation concerning the right
to a trial within a reasonable time and the organisation of the
legal system. This work gave rise to specific technical recommendations. This twelfth collegial expertise was a first in terms of
region (Middle East), language, subject area and the pluralistic
composition of the college of experts (researchers and members
of the judiciary).
The year was also marked by the launch of a collegial expertise on the conservation of Lake Chad, sponsored by the Lake Chad
Basin Commission and the French Global Environment Facility.
The protection of results obtained in laboratories was ensured in 2012 through the submission of 13 new patent requests,
of which half include a developing country partner among the
joint owners. The amount of active patent families remains stable
at about one hundred. Only patents very likely to be of socio-economic benefit are kept, in order to reduce costs and maximise
the advantages for the Institute and its partners in developing
countries.
Several measures were taken to promote technologies during trade fairs and business meetings, such as Africatechno in
Burkina Faso.
> Employees of the Clerk’s Office of the Court of Cassation / Egypt
FOCUS
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • proMoting tHe results of reseArCH progrAMMes
Furthermore, Cirad, Institut Pasteur, IRD and the four overseas universities joined forces as part of the AIRD (inter-agency
body on research for development) to create a theme-based technology transfer consortium (CVT) “ Valorisation Sud” (Technology
transfer in developing countries) which was allocated Ð9 million
over 10 years as part of “Future investments”.
> Business creation
> Sandalwood cultivation / New Caledonia
serei no nengone
Jean Waikedre, a pharmaceutical engineer at the IRD centre
in Noumea, is one of the founders of the New Caledonian
company Serei No Nengone1 . The company, incubated by
IRD following the filing of the first co-ownership patent in
2008, uses a process which enables the production of several
tonnes of sandalwood oil, a highly coveted substance in the
formulation of famous fragrances. The company respects
local customary authorities by committing to a programme
aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the resource. Serei No
Nengone currently generates a turnover of nearly €2 million,
with twenty jobs filled through a true local insertion
programme aimed at young people.
The simplified mechanism used to obtain authorisation
to produce and market ready-to-use therapeutic foods (such as
Plumpy’nut®) was marked by the signature of three new usage
agreements, thereby increasing to nine the number of companies in developing countries which have signed this mechanism
placed online by IRD and Nutriset in October 2010.
The number of currently applicable licensing agreements is
increasing very slightly while the royalties generated experience
strong growth and now exceed Ð1.3 million, which is more than
twice the amount of the expenses related to the protection of
inventions.
Entrepreneurs from research laboratories in France and
developing countries are supported and assisted, in addition
to all project holders wishing to promote innovative technologies adapted and intended for developing countries in close
collaboration with public research. As such, 13 businesses have
been created worldwide. In order to encourage the creation
of innovative businesses, partnerships have been established
with other public institutions from developed and developing
countries.
From the beginning of 2012, the incubator INNODEV in
Dakar started to provide training sessions on the marketing
of innovative projects, a strategic approach to the market
and financing for businesses, for the first five project holders
selected.
The incubator Bond’Innov houses five start-ups, of which
three develop activities related to developing countries:
Selkis, which develops a natural mosquito repellent; Ecoclimasol,
which provides advice on climate risk management; and
Madamycel, which produces mushrooms of high nutritional
value in Madagascar. The third call for projects launched at
the end of the year made it possible to select four new projects.
Furthermore, an agreement was signed with the Agency
for the Economic Development of New Caledonia to create an
incubator in Anse Vata.
Lastly, the programme in support of innovative business
creation in the Mediterranean, PACEIM, continues its deployment with 60 assisted entrepreneurs. Launched in 2011, this
programme is intended to mobilise the expertise of scientific
and technical diasporas in France in order to contribute to the
economic development of countries in the Southern Mediterranean region and create highly skilled jobs.
> Industrial partnerships
Public/private partnerships with developing countries have
been established. More than 70 agreements have been signed
regarding projects with industrial partners, service provision,
agreements pertaining to the transfer of organic material,
in addition to confidentiality agreements, in the amount of
Ð2.7 million.
Among the main developments, it should be noted that
IRD and the Air Liquide Foundation won the second edition
Business Sponsorship Prize of the French Ministry of Ecology
and Sustainable Development for their joint project aimed at
measuring CO2 flow in the New Caledonian mangrove forest.
1. “Plant of Mare” in the language of Mare Island.
diagram shoWing the distribution
of the patent portfolio
neglected diseases
plant genetics - Agronomy
other diseases
Hiv
pollution Control - environment - Bioremediation
Measurement devices and other equipment
Aquaculture / fishing
nutrition / food
Cosmetics
5%
4%
24%
6%
7%
8%
9%
23%
14%
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 49
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • disseMinAting knoWledge And CoMMuniCAting inforMAtion
disseminating
knowledge and
communicating
information
The dissemination of knowledge and the release
of research results to various audiences are an important
part of the Institute’s activity.
diagram: geographical origin of people
checking the horizon database
Metropolitan france
other developed countries
Mediterranean (Algeria 8%, Morocco 4%, tunisia 4%)
West and Central Africa
(Cameroun 4%, Côte d’ivoire 4%, senegal 3%)
latin America and Caribbean
(ecuador 2%, Mexico 1%, Brazil 1%)
Asia
east Africa and indian ocean (Madagascar 1%)
pacific
5%
> Filming of a documentary on glaciers / Bolivia
3% 2%
26%
11%
16%
21%
17%
contact
dic@ird.fr
page 50
IRD • AnnuAl report 2012
> Capitalising on knowledge
> Disseminating knowledge
In order to foster the capitalisation of knowledge acquired
through research, several tools have been developed.
The Horizon database provides researchers’ publications
online as open access documents. With 3,000 new publications,
the creation of a more modern portal and continued implementation of a digitalization policy (56,000 digital documents out
of 86,000 referenced publications), Horizon has experienced
strong growth: more than 12,000 open-access PDF documents
are downloaded every day, with 52% of the documents viewed
in developing countries.
The SPHAERA cartographic database is comprised of more
than 18,000 references and helps disseminate news of the Institute’s achievements in terms of geographical information.
The Indigo photo library has exceeded the mark of
50,000 photographs, with the incorporation of over 3,000 new photos. It is one of the most extensive scientific photo libraries in France.
The production of publications, atlases and films helps promote
research results and share knowledge.
As such, twenty-one titles were published or co-published,
including L’Eau au cœur de la science (Water at the heart of science),
published for the World Water Forum; Hommes et natures (Mankind
and Nature), published in partnership with the International Society
of Ethnobiology for the International Congress of Ethnobiology; La
Grande Muraille Verte (The Great Green Wall, volume 2), of which the
CD version was distributed to partners at the Rio + 20 summit; and
even Guyane océane (Guiana ocean). The work Maurice, de l’île sucrière à
l’île des savoirs (Mauritius, from sugar island to knowledge island), copublished with the AUF and Le Printemps publishers, was awarded
the prize for best French-language book on economics.
Fourteen documentaries were produced or co-produced, including the series Les derniers glaciers (the last glaciers) and the documentary Un nuage sur le toit du monde (A cloud on the roof of the
the agence inter-établissements de recherche pour le développement • disseMinAting knoWledge And CoMMuniCAting inforMAtion
> Strengthening ties between science
FOCUS
and society
new caledonia atlas
> Fête de la science / Marseille
Created at the initiative of the Congress of New Caledonia,
this reference work presents an original vision of this
French overseas community (collectivité d’outre-mer)
in the South Pacific, located more than 16,500 km from
France. Sixty cartographic plates, each accompanied
by instructions illustrated with charts, tables and
photographs, describe the regional context of New
Caledonia, the natural environments, their protection and
development, the peoples and their history, the economy
and human living. Thus, this atlas provides a wealth
of information accessible to schoolchildren, students,
decision-makers and curious readers.
tropical diseases and the fourth AMMA International Conference
on the African monsoon.
world) which was awarded the Pierre Gilles de Gennes prize at the
Pariscience festival in 2012. IRD participated in 70 national and
international festivals and 10 documentaries were awarded prizes.
A highlight in cartographic product publishing was the publication of the New Caledonia Atlas (l’Atlas de Nouvelle-Calédonie), the
creation of a digital world map with gravity anomalies (carte numérique mondiale des anomalies gravimétriques) and the development of
the Cairo Atlas (l’Atlas du Caire).
Several training sessions also concerned the fields of geography
and geomatics, bringing together 80 students from developing
countries.
Sixty-seven seminars have been supported over the year, such
as the E-SOVE International Conference dedicated to vector-borne
> Enhancing the Institute’s reputation
The Institute’s visibility will guarantee its national and international recognition. As such, IRD has enjoyed good media
coverage with 1,860 articles, including 27 in Le Monde, 35 broadcasts on RFI and 19 on France Culture. One hundred and fifty-one
press releases were distributed.
Scientific news sheets provide the latest research results.
Intended for the media, decision-makers and IRD partners,
28 sheets were distributed and generated 135 articles in the media.
On the other hand, the newspaper Sciences au Sud, circulated
in 75,000 copies across 117 countries, continues its efforts to offer
its columns to partners.
Visits to the Institute’s website increased by 4.2% with nearly
5.7 million visitors and more than 23 million page views. Twelve
new representative websites and the AIRD website were placed
online. They enjoy very good visibility in developing countries and,
despite the digital bill, internet users from French-speaking Africa
are among the most loyal visitors of the corporate website. IRD is
also present on social networks: the number of Facebook followers
tripled in one year, and Twitter followers multiplied by 2.8.
Furthermore, the intranet recorded nearly 200,000 visits
in 2012
A great variety of activities were deployed in France and developing countries.
Twenty-five travelling exhibitions were presented in 2012
across 113 sites, including 5 new exhibitions: Le Banc d’Arguin, la
recherche au service d’un patrimoine d’exception (The Banc d’Arguin,
research at the service of an exceptional heritage); L’Autre métissage
(A different melting pot); Les territoires de l’eau (The water territories)
and De l’eau pour tous, les chercheurs se mobilisent (Water for everyone,
researchers join forces). At the World Water Forum, the exhibition
on irrigation in the Mediterranean (co-produced with the Bouchesdu-Rhône district library) was presented in Marseille for 6 months
and in some ten sites in Morocco. On the square in front of SaintCharles station, a large-format photo exhibition offered wide coverage on scientific water-related challenges in developing countries.
Researchers participated in 360 events aimed at the general
public worldwide, including 67% outside continental France. Some
of these events enjoyed great popular success, such as La science au
carré(e) at the Forum des Halles, which attracted 12,000 visitors,
and the great maritime festival Les Tonnerres de Brest, which
received 100,000 visitors.
Several actions were implemented for young people:
approved as part of the Marseille European Capital of Culture
2013 programme, the Parcours migratoires (Migration patterns)
system brought together 500 secondary school pupils from
the PACA region, in Morocco and in Tunisia. Furthermore, the
project En direct des zones humides (Live from the wetlands) brought
together some ten young clubs in the PACA region and LanguedocRoussillon, Guiana, Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Cameroon. Lastly,
several conferences were organised in educational institutions.
> “L’eau au cœur de la science”
AnnuAl report 2012 • IRD
page 51