Inria and the University of Montpellier announce the signature of a strategic partnership agreement and the creation of the "Inria Antenna at the University of Montpellier".

On June 23, 2023, to mark the 20th anniversary of Inria's presence in Montpellier, Bruno Sportisse, Chairman and CEO of Inria, and Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, signed a strategic partnership framework agreement in Montpellier, underlining their desire to strengthen their collaboration in digital science and technology.
This partnership will be embodied in the creation of the "Antenne Inria de l'Université de Montpellier", a prefiguration of a future Inria center in Montpellier, in line with Inria's national strategy to contribute to the development of world-class research universities.

For the past 20 years, the University of Montpellier (UM) and Inria have been collaborating on joint research projects in the fields of data science, simulation and control, with applications to the environment, agriculture and health. Their collaboration has been strengthened through structuring initiatives such as the #DigitAg convergence institute, the NUMEV LabeX and the MUSE "Montpellier University of Excellence" I-SITE. The Pl@ntNet platform and the Neurinnov start-up were created and developed in Montpellier thanks to this collaboration with other academic partners, including national research organizations such as INRAE and CNRS.

Convinced of their complementarity in terms of missions, scientific strengths and research organization, the University of Montpellier and Inria wish to embark on a strong strategic partnership based on their existing organizations and structures, respectively Inria's joint project-team model and the University of Montpellier's laboratories, support units and research federations. Inria and the UM will continue to coordinate their strategies and resources to meet the challenges facing France and Europe in the field of digital science and technology.

Through the "Antenne Inria de l'Université de Montpellier", Inria and the UM are developing a joint strategy for the site, and implementing it with public partners in education, research and innovation, or with private partners, whether French, European or international.

The aim of this policy is to make interactions between the University of Montpellier and Inria more fluid, with new areas of cooperation or the amplification of existing cooperative ventures to maximize their impact. It also aims to enhance the international attractiveness of the site for the benefit of teaching, research and innovation, as well as job creation in the region. It also promotes the dissemination of scientific and technical culture.

A joint HR policy will be developed to attract the best talent and strengthen existing or future joint project teams, in areas such as digital simulation of environmental risks, remote sensing, statistical analysis of health data, assistive robotics, automatic knowledge extraction, data science for diversity and the agro-environment, and participatory science. Collaborative priorities include the launch of the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI) and the ramp-up of the Institut de Sciences des Données de Montpellier (ISDM).

"It is a great source of pride and a great step forward to officially announce the signing and creation of the INRIA branch at the University of Montpellier, which will enable us to continue but above all strengthen our collaboration and joint commitment in the field of digital science and technology. Research and innovation at the University of Montpellier never stands still, and this new agreement is further proof of this."

Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier

"Our dynamic is based on coherence and synergies between national and site policies. By creating the Inria Antenna at the University of Montpellier, Inria is confirming its commitment to strengthening world-class research universities, at the heart of entrepreneurial and industrial ecosystems energized by digital technology, with a single requirement: the impact of our joint actions, also with other national organizations, whatever form this impact may take."

Bruno Sportisse, Inria CEO