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Press release.
25/04/2007
CIRAD and INRA set up the French Initiative for International Agricultural Research
INRA - CIRAD
Marion Guillou, President of INRA and Patrice Debré, President of CIRAD have just founded a public interest group: the French Initiative for International Agricultural Research (IFRAI). The process of bringing the two French organisations closer together began several months ago and is supported and encouraged by the French Ministry of Research. It aims at promoting French agricultural research projects internationally.
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In a perspective of global sustainable development, the objective is to establish, in liaison with partners from Northern and Southern countries, a joint vision of the changes taking place in agriculture, food and nutrition, environment and the rural world and to propose scientific programmes on clearly-identified topics of common interest.
By making optimum use of the competence and complementarity of the two agencies, this public interest group will enable agricultural research to gain in both quality and efficiency.
Major challenges for agricultural research
Whether it is global warming, emerging diseases or food safety and security, CIRAD and INRA both acknowledge the growing importance of the globalization of issues facing agricultural research, in an institutional context as can be seen by the “Millenium Ecosystem Assessment”.
Major challenges lie ahead in order to be able to guarantee renewable agricultural production and carbon in sufficient quantity, while preserving natural resources in favorable socio-economic conditions for actors in Northern and Southern countries. Agricultural research and development necessarily take on an international dimension.
The setting up of the group is unique internationally. It will enable both establishments to have, at the highest level, strategic forums benefiting from and contributing to the evolution of sciences and to work towards pertinent and open propositions for scientific programmes aimed at both national and international decision-makers.
The objective of the public interest group is to invigorate France’s contribution to international research, in particular with respect to the CGRAI - Groupe Consultatif de la Recherche Agronomique International (Advisory Group on International Agricultural Research).
A joint work programme for 2007-2008
This programme is based on discussions initiated during 2006. It involves, for example:
- carrying out foresight studies such as « AgriMonde: World agriculture and food in 2035 »,
- structuring partnerships with the major centres of international research and participation in programmes such as climate change or horticulture,
- looking for complementarity and synergy in the targeted geographical zones such as the Mediterranean or emerging countries.
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More about the group
The Public Interest Group is set up for a period of 5 years and is renewable. It is comprised of CIRAD and INRA staff and its budget will be 500 K€ per year.
The director is Bernard Hubert, up until now the scientific director of « Society, Economics and Decision-making » at INRA. The presidency of the group will alternate between CIRAD and INRA. Patrice Debré, president of CIRAD, will be president of the group for the first two years. The head office of the group will be located in Paris, 42 rue Scheffer.
Subsequently, the group is likely to open to other partners of French public research sharing the same objectives.
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Between the two establishments: a common vision, complementary strategies, different missions
The two establishments keep their respective missions and maintain their specificities as well as the management of their research activities (units and scientific divisions) under the control of their board of directors.
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To find out more:
- presentation of the INRA-CIRAD public interest group (in French)
- Agrimonde (in French)
- Marion Guillou's speech (in French)
- Patrice Debré's speech (in French)
- cv of Bernard Hubert (in French) and photo of Bernard Hubert, director of the IFRAI public interest group
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Written by :
INRA press service, phone: +33 (0)1 42 75 91 69
and CIRAD Press Service, tel: 33 (0)4 67 61 44 07
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