Biopolis: “The goal is to make the most of all the expertise available in Montpellier”
Since 2018, the University of Montpellier has been a partner in the Biopolis development project—a center of excellence based in Portugal and 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 the project leader forUM Paula Dias, a researcher at CEFE, arein steering the project.
To start with, can you explain to us what Biopolis is?
Pierre Boursot: Biopolis is a project to establish 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 less developed—in this case, northern Portugal—by establishing a partnership with an organization located in a European region considered more developed, in this case France.
What themes will this center be organized around?
P. Boursot: Biopolis conducts basic research in evolution and ecology. Its research areas 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 feeding—so it seemed to me that we had a role to play.
But is Biopolis going to be launched in Portugal?
P. Boursot: In this case, it’s not a matter of starting from scratch, since Montpellier’s role is to help the Cibio-Inbio laboratory, located north of Porto, take things to the next level. Cibio-Inbio is the coordinator of this project; it is already an excellent research laboratory with which CEFE and ISEM have been collaborating for about fifteen years, and since 2014, as part of an international associate laboratory ofthe CNRSInstitute of Ecology and Environment. So it was quite natural for them to turn to us to set up this partnership. This is a project focused on skills transfer and capacity building.
How will this transfer of authority take place?
P. Boursot: First and foremost, through training. The commission’s funding will cover approximately nine doctoral fellowships per year. The goal is for as many of these as possible to be co-supervised by researchers from Montpellier and Biopolis, under a joint supervision arrangement betweenUM the University of Porto. Biopolis will also fund decades’ worth of postdoctoral fellows’ salaries, allowing them to come to Montpellier for training. Our technical platforms will also be able to host Biopolis staff, or staff from here can travel to Porto to organize training sessions or supervise projects. The goal is to make the most of all the expertise available in Montpellier.
Paula Dias: This can also take the form of various scientific events, conferences, workshops, thematic sessions, training modules, and so on. People with ideas should not hesitate to submit proposals to Biopolis. Often, organizing such events requires chasing after grants, but here, 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 isn’t a research grant; it’s not intended to fund equipment or research projects. The commission’s funds are allocated to the center’s overall operations and to this initiative to transfer expertise between Montpellier and Portugal. However, it does cover personnel costs—including those in Montpellier—which account for a significant portion of research budgets.
How much is the funding from Europe?
P. Boursot: The commission is providing 15 million euros in funding for the project over a period of 7 years. The condition was that this new center demonstrate its ability to raise at least twice that amount—which it has already done—and achieve sustainable financial independence by the end of the Teaming project.
One of the main priorities is excellence in innovation. How do you plan to develop this?
P. Boursot: Overall , in the field of environmental protection, it’s not always easy to identify what constitutes innovation, but it is certainly present in terms of societal value. All infrastructure created by humans that encroaches on nature must be scientifically evaluated 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 in terms of characterizing biodiversity and applying this knowledge to agriculture. Portugal is a highly agricultural country, and we want to develop this potential for innovation and put it to work for society.
P. Dias: And we mustn’t forget that there is a third official partner in this project: the Porto Business School (PBS). They are very valuable allies who will share with us all their expertise in the business world and in partnerships.
Social commitment, along with the economic and local dimensions, is another pillar…
P. Boursot: We want this center to work closely with all stakeholders with an interest in this field. That could range from agricultural cooperatives to multinational distribution companies—there are no limits. The idea is to create a mixed-use campus in the Porto region that would bring together basic research, NGOs, startups, and more…
The University of Montpellier is a partner in the project, but are there many other governing bodies involved?
P. Boursot: One of the commission’s requirements was that the “lead” partner be a single entity. It quickly became clear thatUM, through Muse, was in a position to represent the research being conducted in most of the UMRs on the Montpellier campus, regardless of their governing bodies. The CNRS, CIRAD,IRD,INRAE, EPHE, andthe University of Perpignan are also involved in 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 considered promising for developing partnerships. Some of them, such as the Center for Biology of Population Management (CBGP), were not affiliated withUM. This provided an opportunity to renegotiate with all the relevant governing bodies so thatUM represent them within the project, in keeping with the spirit of Muse, thereby avoiding purely legal or administrative roadblocks.UM alsoUM a strategic partnership agreement with the University of Porto.
Beyond the leadership aspect, what opportunities might such a partnership open up for research in Montpellier?
P. Dias: Cibio-InBIO is already an excellent, internationally recognized laboratory that does truly outstanding science. It’s no coincidence that Pierre has been working with them for 15 years. They’re also able to raise significant funds and open up new partnerships for us in regions where France has a smaller presence, such as Portuguese-speaking Africa and South Africa, with whom they’re developing partnerships recognized notably by UNESCO. They serve as gateways to those regions of the world.
What are your next steps now?
P. Bousot: We are wrapping up the process of establishing the organization’s legal and administrative framework, and we are currently recruiting the executive team. Soon we will be able to launch the flagship projects we want to highlight.