INRA/PACA: New combined center to boost agricultural research
France’s Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) centers in Sophia Antipolis and Avignon join forces to form one research center for the PACA regio
The INRA centers at Sophia Antipolis and Avignon have combined forces to form one large center, INRA PACA, which is now the 4th largest of France’s 19 INRA research centers with a total budget of €54 million.
The merger will enable the new center to meet the new challenges facing agricultural research today that include research tools, the globalization of agricultural issues and international competition as well as encouraging partnerships on research projects.
This union between the two centers “will increase INRA’s profile and strengthen its representation in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region as well as enhancing dialogue between the various regional partners and the three competitive clusters: Santé des Plantes (SP – Plant Health) in Sophia-Antipolis, and Adaptation au Changement Global (ACG – Adapting to Global Change) et Production Horticole Intégrée (PHI - Integrated Horticultural Production) in Avignon.
This presence is part of plans to reinforce research and higher education around the Mediterranean Arc,” the two centers said in a joint press release.
The new center will have a total staff of 970 employees working in 17 research units, split between the two main sites of Avignon and Sophia Antipolis as well as 7 other sites (Aix-en-Provence, Gotheron, Grenoble, Le Cap d’Antibes, Les Vignères, Manduel and Marseille).
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