A new five-year research contract at UM

[Article] - Published on April 27, 2021 in Major Programs, Organization, Governance, and Bodies

Creation, renewal, closure, or merger: the life cycle of research structures begins anew every five years in France. For the launch of the new five-year contract for research at UM, Philippe Augé, President of the University, and Jacques Mercier, Vice President in charge of research, outline the main directions of research and its organization.

Seventy-two. That is the number of structures affiliated with the University of Montpellier, in the research section of the contract that began in January 2021. What is the purpose of this contract? " It sets the pace for French research and determines the duration of research structures," explains Jacques Mercier. Every five years, the structures are evaluated by the Higher Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES). "Based on this evaluation, the sponsoring institution decides whether to discontinue the structure or renew it. It can merge some of them or create new ones," continues Jacques Mercier.

This contract, which began in January 2021, will exceptionally run for six years, from 2021 to 2026. This extension is yet another consequence of the health crisis, which has delayed the evaluation of certain structures at other sites in France. Six years to pursue the ambitions of the UM and its partners: " We will continue to develop major strategic areas such as the development of interdisciplinarity, the strengthening of partnerships with the socio-economic world, better integration into the European research area, but also an increased commitment to responsible conduct in research," says Philippe Augé.

72 research facilities

While the drafting of this contract is unavoidable, its content should not significantly alter the research landscape at UM. The number of structures will decrease from 78 to 72 due to mergers between laboratories, as is the case with the Plants Health Institute of Montpellier (PHIM), which was created through the merger of the Biology and Genetics of Plant-Parasite Interactions (BGPI), Plant-Microorganism-Environment Interactions (IPME), and Bioaggressors laboratories. Also noteworthy is the creation of a new Inserm-UM entity:the Debrest Institute of Epidemiology and Health (Idesp). Its objective is to better understand chronic diseases, which affect more than 30% of the population and account for 80% of healthcare spending.

"For the rest, we are generally continuing with what already exists and works very well! So there are no major changes to expect, just a few new features, particularly in terms of naming, "adds the vice president in charge of research. Among these new features is the change in name of the joint service units (UMS), which are becoming support and research units (UAR). This is the case for Genopolys, Cemipai and Biocampus. Another change is the new name given to the former host teams, which are now called "research units" (UR), thanks to the authorization given to universities since January 2020 to create their own research units.

A map that changes little

This agreement includes joint research units (UMR). " There are 51 at the UM, many of which are in partnership with the CNRS, but not exclusively. We also have partnerships with Inserm, Inrae, IRD, Cirad, Inria, and others," explains Jacques Mercier. TransVIHMI, the only international joint unit (UMI), is also continuing its work. Initially under the supervision of the IRD and the UM, it is associated with the Universities of Yaoundé (Cameroon) and Cheikh Anta Diop-Dakar (Senegal). Finally, there are two multidisciplinary structures:the Institute of Data Sciences (ISDM) and MSH Sud.

The research structures are grouped into five clusters. An agronomy, environment, and biodiversity cluster; a biology and health cluster; a chemistry cluster; a social sciences cluster; and finally the MIPS cluster, which brings together mathematics, computer science, physics, and systems. There are strong interactions between the clusters, particularly around the pillars of MUSE: Feeding, Caring, and Protecting.

Although not evaluated by HCERES, UM platforms were assessed at the end of 2020 by the UM Academic Council's Research Committee. Their role in providing high-level technological support to the entire Montpellier scientific community, and even beyond for some, was confirmed. There are 16 platforms in total, covering the fields of AEB, MIPS, BS, and Chemistry.

400 additional staff members

In terms of human resources, twenty-three new research directors have been appointed, representing approximately one-third of the 72 structures, but only four of them are women. "Despite the University's policy to raise awareness of gender parity, we note that only fifteen structures are headed by women, which is still far too few. The actions in favor of gender equality already undertaken at the instigation of the Vice President for Social Responsibility will be intensified during this contract," insists the Vice President in charge of research.

Finally, the new five-year contract sees a significant increase in staff across all research structures. This increase is linked to the attractiveness of the University of Montpellier, but also to the fact that the UM has become the supervisory authority for new research structures, such as the Institute for Plant Genetic Improvement and Adaptation (AGAP). "With this new five-year contract, 400 more people are joining our facilities. This required a special financial effort of €270,000 from the University of Montpellier to align laboratory funding with this increase in staff ," explains Jacques Mercier.

Keywords: Research, University