1. INRAE

French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

France

Logo-INRAE

INRAE is the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment stemming from the merger in 2020 of two leading research organisations: INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) and IRSTEA (National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture). INRAE has as its mission to carry out excellent science in order to provide innovative solutions addressing global challenges, notably climate change, biodiversity and food security while at the same time enabling the much needed agroecological, nutritional and energy transitions. This research also serves policy making from regional to international levels, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. 

With more than 250 research and experimental units (within 18 regional research centres and in 14 scientific departments), INRAE works in close cooperation with a wide range of external partners (farmers, industry groups, SMEs, NGOs, regional governments, higher education…) supporting a continuum between fundamental research and applied research and fostering a cross-disciplinary approach. It has a well-established network of national and European-led research infrastructures providing the data and services required to advance public and private research. INRAE received the European Commission’s Human Resources (HR) Excellence in Research Award. It has put forward Open Science as one of its priorities by setting up an Open Science Directorate and various tools to facilitate the uptake of open methods by its researchers.

INRAE also plays a major role in defining and aligning European research through its leading role within joint research programmes (such as FACCE JPI, Water JPI…) and partnerships (e.g. PEER) as well as by coordinating and participating in numerous European and international projects.

Contact Person:  Jean-Noël Aubertot (ReMIX administrative coordinator) jean-noel.aubertot@inra.fr 

Overall, eight INRA research units and experimental stations will contribute to ReMIX: AGIR, GQE, IGEPP, UMR Agronomie, UMR Agroécologie, P3F, Eco&Sols, SAD Paysage:

  • AGroecologies, Innovations & Ruralities - AGIR (https://www6.toulouse.inra.fr/agir): UMR AGIR is a joint research unit dedicated to promote an agroecological production and bringing together researchers in agronomy, ecophysiology, (agro) ecology, plant pathology, management, economics and sociology. Our research unit aims at producing knowledge for farmers, advisors and actors involved in the agri-food chain on agrosystems, trades and development agents skills, strategies of supply, collection and processing companies. Contact Person: Laurent Bedoussac; Laurent.bedoussac@inra.fr 
  • Quantitative Genetics and Evolution – Le Moulon (www.moulon.inra.fr/DEAP): GQE Le Moulon has an expertise in the genetics of complex traits (quantitative genetics) and breeding methodologies, mainly applied to maize and wheat. Team DEAP has a recognised excellence in the study of adaptation and quantitative traits in wheat experimental populations, with strong interest in the design and breeding of cultivar mixtures, as well as participatory breeding. GQE has proposed different diversity indexes to survey variety diversity at the county level. Contact Person: Jérome Enjalbert, jerome.enjalbert@inra.fr 
  • Institute for Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection - IGEPP (https://www6.rennes.inra.fr/igepp_eng/): IGEPP’s objective is to describe, understand and predict the functioning of plants, their associated organisms and the agroecosystems, in order to contribute to the development of new methods improving plant health and protection against biotic and abiotic aggressions, while maintaining the biodiversity and health of agroecosystems. Research at IGEPP focuses on three basic scientific domains: 1) Biodiversity of plants and associated organisms, 2) Plant response and adaptation of associated organisms to biotic and abiotic stresses, and 3) Agroecosystems functioning. Contact Person: Alain Baranger, Alain.Baranger@inra.fr 
  • UMR Agronomie (https://www6.versailles-grignon.inra.fr/agronomie): Research is focused on co-design, with agricultural partners and farmers, of management practices and innovative arable cropping systems including a diversity of crops, among them being legume crops. UMR Agronomie is also specialist in designing support tools for crop management and assessment of ecosystem services. Moreover, UMR Agronomie has developed global approaches in Agronomy, based on statistical analyses of national and international databases and crop modelling. It is involved in several national and international projects on legumes aiming at assessing the benefits of growing legumes, at different scales, and designing legume-based cropping systems. Contact Person: Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy, marie-helene.jeuffroy@inra.fr
  • UMR Agroécologie (http://www6.dijon.inra.fr/umragroecologie): The unit investigates biotic interactions among plants as well as between plants and microorganisms, with the ultimate goal to design and evaluate innovative and environment-friendly agricultural systems. The team involved in ReMIX will 1) study and model crop-weed interactions in multi-specific canopies, 2) design crop ideotypes and cropping systems for species mixtures aiming at sustainable weed management. Contact Person: Nathalie COLBACH, Nathalie.Colbach@inra.fr 
  • Research Unit Grasslands and Forage plants - URP3F (http://www6.poitou-charentes.inra.fr/urp3f): URP3F belongs to two INRA research divisions: Environment & Agronomy; Plant Biology. Main objectives of URP3F are to generate knowledge in Ecophysiology, Genetic and Plant Breeding, with experimental and modelling approaches, to improve beneficial usage of grasslands, their efficiency and their persistency, and adapt grasslands to climate change, through increasing of sown diversity and better management. Contact Person: Isabelle Litrico, isabelle.litrico-chiarelli@inra.fr 
  • UMR Eco&Sols (http://www.umr-ecosols.fr/): Expertise in root/rhizosphere ecology and soil biogeochemistry applied to ecological intensification of agroecosystems, with a peculiar focus on improving N and P use efficiency in legume-based intercropping or agroforestry systems. Field as well as lab experiments are conducted in a range of Mediterranean and tropical conditions, while several geochemical/ecophysiological/ecological models are being developed/tested. Contact Person: Philippe Hinsinger, philippe.hinsinger@inra.fr
  • UMR Biodiversité, Agroécologie et Aménagement du Paysage (http://www6.rennes.inra.fr/sad/): The INRA UMR BAGAP (Biodiversity, Agroecology, Management of Landscape) belongs to “Science for Action and Development” department of INRA. The team consists of about 20 persons in which Véronique Chable‘s group (BCRP, Cultivated Biodiversity and Participatory Research) is working on multi-actor and transdisciplinary researches which aims to enlarge crop diversity for organic and low input agriculture and to support informal seed system in Europe. Contact Person:  Véronique Chable, veronique.chable@inra.fr

Modification date : 31 August 2023 | Publication date : 22 June 2017 | Redactor : Natalia Bellostas