The Muse success story continues with “ExposUM”
On November 30, the University of Montpellier, in close collaboration with its partners at I-site MUSE, secured €23.2 million in funding for its ExposUM project, which won the "Excellence in All Its Forms" call for projects under the Future Investment Program (PIA4). This sum was doubled by the Occitanie Region, bringing the total funding for this project dedicated to the study of external and environmental factors that can affect human health.
"This success is satisfying in more ways than one," says Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier. "First and foremost, it recognizes the University's leadership in life and environmental sciences. This leadership has been built with our partners around three key issues: 'feeding, caring for, and protecting,' which are at the heart of ExposUM."
A unifying project
ExposUm is the name of this ambitious project that the University and its partners presented as part of the "Excellence in All Its Forms"call for projects.The name was chosen in direct reference to the concept of the exposome, which refers to "all exposure to external and environmental factors ( food, pollution, infectious agents, etc.) that can affect human health," explains Eric Delaporte, professor of infectious diseases and project leader. It is an extremely unifying theme in Montpellier, which will allow us to combine a large number of topics as well as multiple disciplines such as oncology, nutrition, ecology, chemistry, human sciences, and more. And we have excellent research centers to do so."
In response to this call for projects, the University of Montpellier, along with the CNRS,IRD,INRAE, CIRAD,Inserm, Montpellier University Hospital,the Cancer Institute, Institut Agro,ENSCM,Ifremer, andInria, sat down together to devise a project that would bring together the strengths of Montpellier. " This project is the result of a collective effort to leverage all the expertise we have at Muse, " continues Eric Delaporte. For François Pierrot, director of the I-site Muse, ExposUM is nothing less than the "cornerstone of the edifice we have been building since 2017: bringing together a large number of scientific communities around the three pillars we have chosen. "
Strong support from the Occitanie region
Of the 35 applications received by the ministry, only 15 were selected in this first round of selection. While several major Parisian universities were rejected, the University of Montpellier was the only winner in Occitanie to receive the label. "This is yet another success, adding to the €2.5 million obtained two weeks ago for innovation clusters. These successes reinforce the credibility of the University and its partners," emphasizes Philippe Augé.
The ministry states: "The selected projects are all expected to have an impact on their local area." This local dimension is strongly emphasized in the Montpellier project, to which the Region has responded by doubling the funding and contributing €23.2 million of its own. This commitment was made in the name of its green pact for Occitanie, as President Carole Delga emphasized: "The collective research work that the University of Montpellier and its partners will carry out on the impact of external factors and our environment on health is essential. A better understanding of these phenomena will enable us to implement more appropriate and innovative public policies in the region. That is why I wanted to give this project every chance of success by providing strong financial support."
By supporting the establishment and development of businesses, ExposUM should also be a major asset for the city and the Med Vallée project, which aims to make Montpellier a European hub for health, the environment, food, and well-being.
New chairs of excellence
In total, this means that over €46 million will be added to the resources provided by the University and its eleven partners over eight years. "This is a significant sum and sends a strong signal for Montpellier at the national level," enthuses Eric Delaporte. Our project is extremely ambitious, and we must now collectively establish the precise strategic directions for the first actions we want to implement." Research projects will of course be launched thanks to the recruitment of young researchers, but also new chairs of excellence "that will truly be at the heart of ExposUM."
Cutting-edge technological platforms for assessing risks, measuring pollutant concentrations, and monitoring their effects on health will be strengthened through the recruitment of engineers. Human and financial resources will also be provided to better promote research results and make them directly useful to society. Training will of course not be overlooked, with the creation of new training programs in Montpellier, but also in areas where emerging risks are significant. "With ExposUM, we are simply going to write the next chapters of the Muse success story," concludes Eric Delaporte.