Biopolis: “The goal is to leverage all the expertise available in Montpellier.”
Since 2018, the University of Montpellier has been a partner in the Biopolis development project. This center of excellence, based in Portugal, is dedicated to research and innovation in biodiversity. At the heart of this collaboration is the transfer of expertise between European regions. Pierre Boursot, a researcher atISEM and project leader for UM, and Paula Dias, a researcher at CEFE, are involvedin steering the project.
To begin with, can you explain what Biopolis is?
Pierre Boursot: Biopolis is a project to create a center of excellence for research, development, and innovation, resulting from a partnership between Portugal and Montpellier. It is part of the European H2020 Teaming program, which aims to promote the creation of this type of center in areas of Europe considered to be less advanced, in this case the northern region of Portugal, by twinning with a structure located in a European region considered to be more advanced, in this case France.
What themes will this center focus on?
P.Boursot: Biopolis conducts fundamental research in evolution and ecology. Its research topics include environmental biology, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and agrobiodiversity. Montpellier is recognized as one of the world's leading centers for these disciplines, which constitute two of the three pillars of Muse—protecting and nourishing—so it seemed to me that we had a role to play.
But is it in Portugal that Biopolis will see the light of day?
P.Boursot: In this case, it is not a creation ex-nihilo, since Montpellier's role is to help the Cibio-Inbio laboratory, located north of Porto, to move up a gear. Cibio-Inbio is the coordinator of this project and is already an excellent research laboratory with which Cefe and Isem have been collaborating for some fifteen years, and since 2014, within an international laboratory associated withthe CNRSInstitute of Ecology and Environment. It was therefore quite natural for them to turn to us to set up this partnership. It is a project focused on skills transfer and capacity building.
How will this transfer of authority take place?
P.Boursot: Through training, first and foremost. The commission's funds will finance around nine thesis grants per year. The aim is for as many of these as possible to be co-supervised by researchers from Montpellier and Biopolis, under a joint supervision agreement between UM and the University of Porto. Biopolis will also fund dozens of years of postdoctoral salaries for researchers who come to train in Montpellier. Our technical platforms will also be able to accommodate Biopolis staff, or staff from here will be able to go to Porto to organize training courses or supervise projects. The aim is to make the most of all the skills available in Montpellier.
Paula Dias: It can also take the form of various scientific events, conferences, workshops, themed workshops, training modules, etc. People with ideas should not hesitate to submit proposals to Biopolis. Often, this type of organization requires chasing after grants, but if the topic is of interest to Biopolis, funding is available.
Isn't the purpose of this partnership to fund the research projects themselves?
P. Dias: No , what you need to understand is that this is not a call for research proposals; it is not intended to pay for equipment or research projects. The commission's money is allocated to the overall operation of the center and to this transfer of expertise between Montpellier and Portugal. However, it does pay for human resources, including in Montpellier, which represent a significant portion of research budgets.
How much does Europe's funding amount to?
P.Boursot: The commission is providing €15 million in funding for the project over seven years. The condition was that this new center demonstrate its ability to raise at least twice that amount in funds—which it has already done—and achieve sustainable financial autonomy at the end of the Teaming project.
One of the main areas of focus is excellence in innovation. How will you develop this?
P.Boursot: Overall , in the field of environmental protection, it is not always easy to see what constitutes innovation, but it is present in terms of societal value. All infrastructure created by humans that encroaches on nature must be scientifically evaluated in order to measure its impact and develop solutions. Genomics is also central to Biopolis. It is a rapidly expanding field that offers enormous opportunities for innovation, if only to characterize biodiversity and apply this knowledge to agriculture. Portugal is a very agricultural country, and we want to develop this potential for innovation and put it at the service of society.
P. Dias: And we mustn't forget that there is a third official partner in this project, Porto Business School (PBS). They are very valuable allies who will offer us all their knowledge of the business world and partnerships.
Social commitment and economic and local dimensions are another pillar...
P.Boursot: We want this center to work closely with all stakeholders who have an interest in this field. This could range from agricultural cooperatives to multinational distribution companies—there are no limits. The idea is to create a mixed campus in the Porto region that would bring together fundamental research, NGOs, startups, and more.
The University of Montpellier is a partner in the project, but many other institutions are also involved.
P.Boursot: One of the commission's requirements was that the "lead" partner be a single entity. It quickly became apparent that the UM, through Muse, was in a position to represent the research being carried out in most of the joint research units (UMRs) at the Montpellier site, regardless of their supervisory bodies. The CNRS, CIRAD,IRD,INRAE, EPHE, andthe University of Perpignan are also linked to the H2020 project.
Biopolis brings together eleven laboratories in Montpellier. How did you choose them?
P.Boursot: When the Portuguese came to visit Montpellier, they identified eleven laboratories that they thought would be interesting for developing partnerships. Some of them, such as the Center for Population Biology (CBGP), were not affiliated with the UM. This provided an opportunity to renegotiate with all the supervisory bodies so that the UM could represent them within the project, in line with the spirit of Muse, thus avoiding purely legal or administrative obstacles. The UM also signed a strategic partnership agreement with the University of Porto.
Beyond the leadership aspect, what opportunities could such a partnership open up for research in Montpellier?
P. Dias: Cibio-InBIO is already an excellent, internationally recognized laboratory that does some truly outstanding science. It is no coincidence that Pierre has been working with them for 15 years. They are also able to raise significant funds and open up new partnerships in areas where France has less of a presence, such as Portuguese-speaking Africa and South Africa, with whom they are developing partnerships recognized by UNESCO, among others. These are gateways to these regions of the world.
What are the next steps for you now?
P. Bousot: We are completing the legal and administrative aspects of setting up the structure and are currently recruiting the executive team. We will soon be able to launch the flagship projects we want to promote.