Official Launch of the ExposUM Institute

A winner of the ExcellenceS – France 2030 call for proposals and strongly supported by the Occitanie Region, the ExposUM Institute is an initiative aimed at establishing a leading, cross-disciplinary, off-campus institute for the study, training, and science-society interaction regarding the environmental determinants of human health.  ExposUM will receive €46.4 million in funding over the 2022–2030 period.

Following the official opening by Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, and Nadia Pellefigue, Director of Higher Education, Research, Europe, and International Relations for the Occitanie Region, the ExposUM Institute, its role within the academic and scientific ecosystem, and the funding opportunities it offers will be presented throughout this day of discussions.

What's on the agenda for today

Hosted by Magali Roubieu, director of theUM  Strategic Programs DivisionUM

8:30–9:00 a.m.: Welcome coffee

9:00–9:30 a.m.: opening remarks

• Philippe Augé – President of the University of Montpellier
• Nadia Pellefigue – Vice President for Higher Education, Research, Europe, and International Relations for the Occitanie Region
• Sophie Béjean – Rector of the Occitanie Academic Region, Rector of the Montpellier School District, Chancellor of the Universities

9:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.: Presentation of the ExposUM Institute
Organization, scientific scope, and general program:

• Éric Delaporte – Director of the ExposUM Institute

Specific initiatives, funding, and opportunities for the research community, and answers to questions:

• Mircea Sofonea – Head of the Research Division
• Charlotte Boullé – Head of the Training Division
• Aurélie Binot – Head of the Interfaces Research Area
• Philippe Combette – Vice President for Partnerships and Innovation (UM)

11:20 a.m.–11:45 a.m.: Scientific presentations
: European/International Overview of Exposome Projects and the Unique Features of ExposUM
: Isabella Annesi-Maesano – Director of Research and Professor of Environmental Epidemiology (IDESP UM INSERM)

11:45 a.m.–12:10 p.m.
: Exploring the exposome to understand the onset of rheumatoid arthritis
Claire Daien – Associate Professor and Physician, Rheumatology Department (Montpellier University Hospital / UMR PhyMedExp UM)

12:10 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.: Lunch

1:45 p.m. – 2:35 p.m.: Keynote lecture
, “Exposome Analytics: Questions, Achievements, andPerspectives”
, Marc Chadeau-Hyam – Professor of Computational Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Imperial College London – UK)

2:35 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Scientific presentations
Presentation of the Marianne Family Cohort: An exposome approach to the onset of autism spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmentaldisorders
Amaria Baghdadli – Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (MPEA / Montpellier University Hospital) and Director of the Languedoc-Roussillon Autism Resource Center and the Center of Excellence on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

3:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.:
Biocampus Network – MAMMA (Montpellier Alliance for Metabolomics and Metabolism Analysis): presentation of the platform and opportunities within the ExposUM institute
, Frédérique Courant – Research Professor at UMR Hydrosciences (UM) & Maria Elena Gomez Hernandez – Research Professor at UMR HydroSciences (UM)

3:25 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Illustration of an ExposUM theme as part of the AAP Research
Didier Fontenille – Deputy Director of IRD, MIVEGEC, member of COVARS, member of COSS, and Director of RIVOC

3:50 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.: Q&A session: questions and discussion
Moderator: Jacques Mercier – Vice President Research UM)

4:20 p.m.: Closing