Nine key initiatives and hundreds of actions developed
It's time to take stock of the nine key initiatives of the I-SITE Program of Excellence (PEI). On Wednesday, November 23, 2022, the leaders of the "key initiatives Muse" presented the conclusions of the actions carried out. This was an opportunity to demonstrate how they have contributed to structuring their scientific community and strengthening the national and international visibility of the University of Montpellier (UM) and its partners.
Food and health, biomarkers and therapy, data for life sciences, water, sea and coastline, climate risks and health issues, risks and vectors, blood sciences, and vine and wine sciences... By addressing these themes, the nine Musekey initiatives (Kim) embody the unique identity of the UM and its PEI partners in its territory. Depending on the level of structuring of the communities at the time of their creation or the expected societal impacts, each KIM had a specific roadmap with a common objective: to promote synergies between research, training, and the socio-economic world.
Leverage effect
The various reports have thus demonstrated that each key initiative has had a leverage effect justifying the extension of their actions within the framework of the Occitanie Region's key challenge program. This is the case for the Kim " water ," "vine & wine,""biomarkers & therapy," and " risks & vectors ." The latter will see its themes fully integrated into the ExposUM project. Others are expanding their scope internationally through initiatives planned as part of the Ideas program of the Future Investment Program (PIA3). The certification of the UNESCO International Water Center Icireward and the international recognition of the scientific community in this field is a fine example of the impetus provided by the "water" key initiative.
The impact of these international initiatives can be measured by the number of partnerships developed and the dissemination of Montpellier's expertise in these fields. For example, the international "seed" research projects developed at Kim "sea & cost"have enabled collaboration with 36 international partners on all continents and opened up avenues for the creation of a Montpellier marine science program. The planting of a core collection of 279 grape varieties representative of the genetic diversity of Vitis vinifera by Kim Vine & Wine is intended to inspire international partners on both American continents, in South Africa, and in Australia.
A key word: "interdisciplinarity"
The term "interdisciplinarity" was undoubtedly the most frequently used throughout this morning of presentations and discussions. The involvement of different scientific communities around a common theme has indeed created new synergies leading to unprecedented interdisciplinary research projects,illustrated for example by the Beast project driven by the "data for life sciences"key initiatives.Interdisciplinary in essence, Kim " food & health " initiative has enabled the implementation of structural actions at the agro-health interface. In the name of interdisciplinarity, shared systems have also been developed, such as "e-match"for access to health data for biomedical research, launched by the "biomarkers & therapy"Kim, and the establishment of a service center for the entire community by the "data & life science" Kim.
Master's scholarships, summer schools, cross-disciplinary training... Through their various actions, key initiatives have helped to strengthen interdisciplinarity in the field of education, particularly for master's students. It is therefore no coincidence that regular reference has been made to the contribution of key initiatives in the development of the IDIL (Interdisciplinary and in-lab graduate program) program. The flagship initiative of the hackathon Water4futur hackathon embodies the continuum of training, research, innovation, and dissemination in the service of societal challenges. This initiative brought together schoolchildren, high school students, and students from 20 universities and 11 countries.
Share knowledge, innovate, raise awareness
As projects were rolled out against the backdrop of the pandemic, the MOOC format was chosen by several key initiatives to enable as many people as possible to receive training. Examples include an international MOOC on blood sciences as part of the Kim "interdisciplinary blood science"program, those produced in collaboration with the FAO on food systems, and those produced with Wageningen University & Research, a strategic partner of UM, on building a healthy and sustainable food environment, and the "vine & wine" MOOC project.
The roadmap for key initiatives also included a section dedicated to innovation and the economy, two important areas of focus for the I-SITE program of excellence. Notable examples in this area include those that have strengthened dialogue between the scientific community and the business world, with key initiatives participating in trade shows such as the sea and coastline exhibition, and support for the emergence of innovative projects. Kim Food & Health has also launched a program to support start-ups and businesses through Innov'labs. Finally, Kim Climate Change & Healthcare Sector has placed awareness-raising among stakeholders in healthcare organizations and the development of tools to aid managerial decision-making at the heart of its project.
The organization of research-industry meetings in health and nutrition, or "Biomarkers & Therapy Days,"organized with the economic development agency Ad'Occ and the Eurobiomed competitiveness cluster, helped raise awareness among professionals in the sector. More broadly, raising awareness among the business community and the general public was a common goal shared by all the Kims, who organized numerous seminars, workshops, and other events to share knowledge and integrate the various communities into the region.
