4 new key initiatives to highlight the unique identity of I-SITE MUSE
Presented to the MUSE Board* in June and July 2020, four new cross-cutting themes will be designated as MUSE Key Initiatives at the start of the new academic year: Infectious Risks and Vectors (RIVE), Nutrition and Food Systems, the Interdisciplinary Network for Blood Sciences (Riss), and Climate Risks and Health (Phoenix).
These four new MUSE key initiatives complement existing programs to reinforce MUSE’s unique identity and its commitment to high-stakes issues at both the regional and international levels. The goal is to strengthen synergies between Research, Education, and the Economy within a multidisciplinary community. These four new KIMs will highlight the significant potential of Montpellier’s scientific community in the field of health by positioning themselves at the intersection of MUSE’s three pillars: Nourish – Protect – Care.
While certain details of the projects still need to be finalized before their official launch, here are the main points around which these four initiatives will be developed.
Infectious Risks and Vectors (RIVE)
Current global changes are leading to an increased risk of the emergence of vector-borne diseases affecting humans, animals, and plants, including in our region. Montpellier’s academic, institutional, and economic community has both the ambition and the capacity to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to understanding the risks of disease emergence, as well as to the surveillance and control of these diseases. The project proposed to the board aims to establish Montpellier as a European center of excellence and expertise by organizing its community around a “One Health / Eco Health”approach that addresses the MUSE challenges: Feed, Heal, Protect.
With more than 40 research institutions and 600 researchers, KIM will support research on the emergence, vector-borne transmission, and control of infectious agents. With a strong focus on stakeholders, particularly those in the region, KIM RIVE will carry out its activities through a dense network of partnerships in both the Global South and the Global North, and will serve as a foundation for high-level expertise and training. Companies in the region will be encouraged to develop applications based on the research. The KIM will organize international events and summer schools that will increase MUSE’s visibility.
Nutrition and Food Systems
As a major societal issue, the triad of Food, Nutrition, and Health serves as a key focus for I-SITE MUSE’s international development initiative. Bringing together the “Agriculture” and “Health” communities around translational approaches that combine fundamental and participatory, transdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral research should help transform Montpellier into a unique ecosystem for research, education, and development in the field of nutrition. This complementary expertise will provide the scientific foundation to better support food and health policies, offer innovative training through the creation of a new Master’s program focused on the nexus of agri(aqua)culture, environment, and health within the conceptual framework of Ecosanté – Econutrition, and to contribute to business competitiveness and improve the resilience of regions in the Global South through a multi-stakeholder approach.
Interdisciplinary Network for Blood Sciences
At the site level, numerous stakeholders address issues related to blood and/or develop expertise to address these issues: the Montpellier and Nîmes University Hospitals, research units, public and private socioeconomic partners, the French Blood Establishment, and master’s degree programs. While the necessary resources are available, interactions among these stakeholders could be optimized, and collaborations between clinicians, biologists, biophysicists, veterinarians, and representatives of the hard sciences are currently too few, as are knowledge transfer activities between the academic and economic sectors. The KIM aims to foster the emergence of synergies among the various stakeholders in the field. Among the initiatives to be implemented are an action plan to attract young researchers trained in multidisciplinary approaches and significant efforts to enhance international visibility by hosting and organizing major scientific events in Montpellier.
Climate Risks and Health (Phoenix)
Among the major challenges of this century, the effects of climate change on public health are becoming increasingly significant. They can have a significant impact on healthcare systems. In Occitanie, according to a February 2020 INSEE report, the heat waves of 2019 offer a glimpse of what is to come. The primary objective of KIM PHOENIX is to highlight the effects of extreme climate risks (heat waves, initially) on healthcare organizations and to propose managerial solutions for developing resilient organizations. Among the actions proposed to the MUSE Board are the creation and coordination of a multidisciplinary observatory, the development of international partnerships to benefit from shared expertise, and the organization of a simulation exercise designed to test healthcare facility staff against a climate risk scenario.
The MUSE Board serves as the steering body for I-SITE. It is composed of the President of the University of Montpellier (UM) and representatives from the CEA, CIRAD, INRAE, INSERM, IRD, and UM, as well as one representative from each of the partner consortia: “Institut agro-Montpellier SupAgro, ENSCM, CIHEAM IAMM,” “Montpellier University Hospital, Nîmes University Hospital, and ICM,” and “BRGM, Ifremer, and Inria.”