Montpellier Scientific Community

Agropolis Fondation's world-class scientific network

Agropolis Fondation works with 31 research units specializing in plant research at various levels- from its genes to its environments to its final uses.

The Foundation’s scientific network altogether involves about 900 scientists and 400 PhD students and covers a wide range of disciplines, i.e., from bio-technical to social sciences and with recognized expertise in temperate, tropical and Mediterranean regions. These research units are collectively working on two scientific domains:

Integrative Plant Biology (IPB) : diversity, adaptation and response of plants to biotic and abiotic constraints. This refers to increase fundamental knowledge of plants in their environment within the framework of an integrative biology approach linking the different levels of organisation from gene to plant population. The originality of the project lies in the fact that it assembles scientific communities that use two main approaches:   i) genetics and genomics, plant improvement and ecophysiology; ii) plant pests and diseases, integrated crop protection and population ecology. This field assembles the following disciplines and specialisations: genetics, genomics, physiology, development biology, pathology, entomology, ecophysiology, population biology, functional ecology and plant modelling (virtual plants).: the complex interactions of a plant’s biological systems;

Social and Technological Dynamics of Innovation (STDI): This refers to increase knowledge of innovation processes in agriculture, the environment, foods and agroindustries and to use this knowledge together with that generated by research in IPB within a sustainable development context. Corresponding research activities within this axis are in the area of change design, technological and organisational engineering. Multidisciplinary in nature this axis is characterised by a combination of technical and socio-economic approaches towards the social management of innovations. The scientific network is original as it combines teams that address innovations from a technical angle (i and ii) and from a socio-economic angle (iii) in cross-cutting research programmes: i) agri-environmental innovations, ii) agrifood innovations, iii) social innovations and the social management of innovations. This domain assembles the following disciplines and specialisations: i) agricultural science and agro-ecology, soil science, functional ecology and population ecology; ii) integrated science and technology for processing plant production (food science, process engineering); iii) economics, sociology and anthropology, management science, law, geography, political science.

Agropolis Foundation welcomes leading and promising international scientists to work with its scientific network in Montpellier. The various research grants and support awards it offers are an excellent entry point to broaden and reinforce international research partnerships.

The following are the various research units making up Agropolis Foundation’s scientific network:

Integrative Plant Biology (IPB)

Social and Technological Dynamics of Innovation (STDI)