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A Key Initiative for Innovative Interdisciplinary Research in Plant Health and Agrosystems. Faced with multiple biotic and abiotic risks to plants, such as diseases, pests, climate change and intensive agricultural practices, plant health research is a major challenge. These challenges affect not only agricultural productivity, but also food security, biodiversity and ecological balance. In this context, the CLAPAS1 initiative proposes to explore plant health through a broad approach, inspired by the exposome concept, which encompasses all interactions between plants and their environment (soil, microbiota, bio-aggressors, auxiliaries, etc.). This approach is fully in line with the One Health approach, linking plant, environmental, animal and human health. CLAPAS aims to structure the Montpellier scientific community around three priority areas of research: Mechanisms and ecology of biotic interactions in agrosystems. The role of microbiota in the adaptation of plants to their environment. Epidemio-surveillance and adaptive dynamics of bio-aggressors. This research has three main aims: to prevent risks, using tools such as ecological modelling, genomics and epidemio-surveillance. Cure, by developing innovative solutions such as the use of microbiota, metabolites or natural auxiliaries, or methods such as chemical confusion and sterile insect techniques. Strengthen resilience, by assessing the environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed solutions. A collaborative dynamic This project brings together a number of laboratories from the "Agronomy, Environment, Biodiversity" (AEB) research cluster of the I-Site, federating several national research institutions (INRAE, IRD, Cirad, Institut Agro Montpellier, Université de Montpellier), and relies on international collaborations, particularly with countries in the South, heavily affected by climate change. CLAPAS is also involved in national and European initiatives, and collaborates with non-academic players (FREDON, Chambre d'Agriculture, specialized companies). By strengthening interdisciplinary synergies and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, CLAPAS aims to position Montpellier as a center of excellence in plant health research, resolutely focused on the challenges of tomorrow. Key actions of the CLAPAS key initiative: Plant health and integrated approach CLAPAS implements interdisciplinary and collaborative actions to strengthen research and awareness around plant health, integrating the concepts of exposome and One Health. These actions are aimed at local scientific units, and are organized around four main initiatives: Organization of scientific events: Conferences, workshops and regular meetings will be organized to encourage exchanges between researchers, disseminate discoveries and consolidate a dynamic scientific network around plant health. Support for interdisciplinary research projects: Funding will be allocated to collaborative projects between several research units, with an emphasis on training Master's students. Projects will encourage synergies with social sciences, human or animal health, promoting innovative and integrative research. Research schools and specialized training: Training courses will be offered to researchers and PhD students, notably on key themes such as plant and environmental health, microbial communities, biodiversity, epidemiological modeling and bioinformatics analysis. These schools aim to strengthen the skills of young scientists and research teams. Science-society interactions: Surveys will be carried out to gain a better understanding of how plant health is perceived by local stakeholders (e.g. shared gardens in Montpellier). At the same time, awareness-raising workshops for the general public will be organized at events such as the Fête de la Science and the project's closing symposium. These ambitious initiatives aim to structure a research community around plant health, encourage innovative and sustainable approaches, and raise society's awareness of plant health issues from a global perspective.

Investissements d'Avenir The Investissements d'Avenir program is worth 35 billion euros, including 22 billion euros earmarked for higher education and research to boost France's competitiveness on the world stage. Of these 22 billion euros, almost 18 billion take the form of competitive calls for projects. The University of Montpellier is heavily involved in this program, through numerous projects in which it is a sponsor or partner. Find out more ERC grants The European Research Council coordinates and funds scientific projects "at the frontier of knowledge" within the European Union, with grants rewarding scientific excellence. The program is open to all disciplines. Current European Research Council projects: ERC Starting Grant Erika Burioli (Laboratoire Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements) with the HYPERCAN project, which focuses on transmissible mussel cancers Portrait of Erika Burioli Paul Antonio (Géosciences Montpellier) with the UBEICH project, which proposes a new experimental method to refine the dating of the Earth's inner core.Portrait of Paul Antonio ERC Advanced Grant David Mouillot (MARBEC) whose BLUE-AFRICA project will enable transdisciplinary research to assess the potential of coastal marine resources in reducing poverty and emigration in rural areas of East Africa affected by land aridification. Read the press release ERC Synergy Grant Daniele Di Pietro (Institut Montpellierrain Alexander Grothendieck) with the NEMESIS project, which aims to understand how to overcome current technological barriers in numerical simulations of complex physical problems. Portrait Daniele Di Pietro ERC past Sara Cavaliere (Institut Charles Gerhardt de Montpellier) with the SPINAM project which focuses on electrochemical devices for hydrogen energy conversion and storage. Video report with Sara Cavaliere Key initiatives To pursue its strategy of supporting the scientific communities that make up the site's unique identity, the I-SITE Program of Excellence (PEI) approved five new key initiatives in April 2024. Three of these are internationally oriented and funded by the UM2030 project of the France 2030 - IDéES program "Integration and development of Idex and I-SITE", while the other two, funded directly by the PEI, aim to federate communities from different Montpellier research structures around interdisciplinary themes in order to give them greater visibility. Key international initiatives UM 2030: Foods: Nutrition and food systems Vect-OH: Infectious risks and vectors in a One Health approach Water: Water Key PEI initiatives: KIPPT: Public policies for transition CLAPAS: Local collaborative research actions on plant health and agrosystems

Today's societies face numerous complex, cross-cutting challenges that call into question the sustainability of our development model and our ability to live together as a society. Environmental, climatic, demographic, political and technological developments (particularly digital) are all challenging our lifestyles, development models, production, consumption, work organization, education, healthcare, spatial planning and mobility..... These changes bring both opportunities and risks, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. They are also a source of risks of social, political and economic breakdown, which directly call into question the governance of our societies. Supporting transitions towards new, more sustainable and fairer development models has become a challenge for public players. To meet this challenge, the Montpellier site offers a dynamic environment for high-level social science research in a range of disciplines: economics, law, political science, geography, education and training sciences, management and sociology. The aim of the Key Initiative Politiques publiques de transition (KIPPT) is to boost the visibility and encourage local, national and international interaction between scientists at the Montpellier site whose work in the social sciences is linked to transitional public policies. On the one hand, it aims to federate researchers and structure them into a sustainable network. In this way, KIPPT will help to stimulate exchanges and synergies, and give visibility to the Montpellier site's collective expertise on public policies for transition. On this basis, KIPPT also aims to structure a "science/society" relationship by acting as a bridge between researchers working on transition policies and public and civil society players. To this end, various partners such as local authorities - notably the Occitanie Region and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole - companies and associations are involved in the project. A broad, multidisciplinary definition of transitional public policies KIPPT supports a broad definition of transitional public policies, around and beyond the 3 pillars of the I-site - nourish, protect, care. It considers public policy, public action and governance from a multidisciplinary perspective. It brings together a number of laboratories from the I-Site's Social Sciences cluster around three main axes: Axis 1: to stimulate exchanges between laboratories and disciplines around strong sectoral themes on the site, such as the climate/energy, ecological, digital, agricultural and food, mobility/transportation, health and other transitions. Axis 2: to encourage reflection on the coherence and articulation between public transition policies and integration issues. Particular attention is paid to the cross-cutting issue of inequality, on the one hand, and to territorial projects as vectors of integration to address tensions between sectoral and territorial logics, on the other. Axis 3: address cross-cutting issues linked to the governance of transitions. Challenges linked to the design of public transition policies (PPT), their public debate and evaluation Challenges linked to the implementation of PPT: cooperation between players, sectors, levels of government, financing, citizen/civil society participation, etc. Challenges linked to the conflictuality/acceptability of transition policies Challenges linked to the methods and instruments mobilized: cost-benefit approaches, multicriteria, incentive instruments, regulations, pricing, planning, trajectories, etc. Challenges linked to the evolution of perceptions, opinions and behaviors of stakeholders in the face of transitions Actions serving the creation of a scientific community A call for multi-disciplinary and multi-laboratory research projects "Structuring" projects "Impulsion" projects A platform dedicated to the KIPPT link Project follow-up and valorization A resource center for the community Three scientific days