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A Key Initiative for Innovative Research in Plant Health and Agrosystems. Faced with the many biotic and abiotic risks affecting plants—such as diseases, pests, climate change, and intensive agricultural practices—plant health research has emerged as 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 broader approach, drawing inspiration from the concept of the exposome, which encompasses all interactions between plants and their environment (soils, microbiomes, pests, beneficial organisms, etc.). This approach is fully aligned with the One Health perspective, linking plant, environmental, animal, and human health. Objectives of the Key Initiative CLAPAS aims to organize the Montpellier scientific community around three priority research areas: Mechanisms and ecology of biotic interactions in agrosystems. The role of microbiomes in plant adaptation to their environment. Epidemiological surveillance and adaptive dynamics of pests. This research pursues three main goals: To prevent risks, using tools such as ecological modeling, genomics, and epidemiological surveillance. To treat, by developing innovative solutions such as the use of microbiomes, metabolites, or natural enemies, as well as methods such as chemical confusion and the sterile insect technique. To strengthen resilience by assessing the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the proposed solutions. A Collaborative Approach This project brings together numerous laboratories from the “Agronomy, Environment, Biodiversity” (AEB) research cluster at I-Site, which unites several national research institutions (INRAE, IRD, CIRAD, Institut Agro Montpellier, University of Montpellier), and draws on international collaborations, particularly with countries in the Global South, which are severely affected by climate change. CLAPAS is also part of national and European initiatives and collaborates with non-academic stakeholders (FREDON, the Chamber of Agriculture, and 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, firmly focused on the challenges of tomorrow. Key Actions of the CLAPAS Key Initiative: Plant Health and an Integrated Approach CLAPAS implements interdisciplinary and collaborative actions to strengthen research and awareness regarding plant health, incorporating the concepts of the exposome and One Health. These actions are directed at local research units and center on four main initiatives: Organization of scientific events: Conferences, workshops, and regular meetings will be organized to foster exchanges among researchers, disseminate findings, and build a dynamic scientific network focused on plant health. Support for interdisciplinary research projects: Funding will be allocated to collaborative projects involving multiple research units, with an emphasis on training Master’s students. These projects will encourage synergies with the social sciences, human health, and animal health, fostering innovative and integrative research. Research schools and specialized training: Training programs will be offered to researchers and doctoral students, particularly on key topics such as plant and environmental health, microbial communities, biodiversity, epidemiological modeling, and bioinformatics analysis. These training programs aim to strengthen the skills of young scientists and research teams. Science-society interactions: Surveys will be conducted to better understand how local stakeholders perceive plant health (e.g., community gardens in Montpellier). At the same time, public awareness workshops will be organized during events such as the Fête de la Science or the project’s closing symposium. These ambitious initiatives aim to build a research community focused on plant health, encourage innovative and sustainable approaches, and raise public awareness of plant health issues from a global perspective.

Investments for the Future The Investments for the Future program amounts to 35 billion euros, of which 22 billion euros are earmarked for higher education and research to strengthen France’s competitiveness on the global stage. Of these 22 billion euros, nearly 18 billion take the form of competitive calls for proposals. The University of Montpellier is heavily involved in this program through numerous projects in which it serves as the lead institution or a partner. Learn more ERC Grants The European Research Council coordinates and funds scientific projects “at the frontiers of knowledge” within the European Union through grants that recognize scientific excellence. This program is open to all disciplines. Current European Research Council projects: ERC Starting Grant Erika Burioli (Host-Pathogen-Environment Interactions Laboratory) with the HYPERCAN project, which focuses on transmissible cancers in mussels.Profile 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.Profile of Paul Antonio ERC Advanced Grant David Mouillot (MARBEC), whose BLUE-AFRICA project will conduct transdisciplinary research to assess the potential of coastal marine resources to reduce poverty and emigration in rural regions of East Africa affected by land aridification. Read the press release: ERC Synergy Grant – Daniele Di Pietro (Alexander Grothendieck Institute in Montpellier) with the NEMESIS project, which aims to understand how to overcome current technological barriers in numerical simulations of complex physical problems. Profile of Daniele Di Pietro Past ERC Grants Sara Cavaliere (Charles Gerhardt Institute of Montpellier) with the SPINAM project, which focuses on electrochemical devices for hydrogen energy conversion and storage. Video feature with Sara Cavaliere Key Initiatives To continue its strategy of supporting the scientific communities that define the site’s unique identity, the I-SITE Program of Excellence (PEI) designated five new key initiatives in April 2024. Three of them are internationally oriented and funded by the UM2030 project under the France 2030 program – IDéES “Integration and Development of Idex and I-SITE”—while the other two, funded directly by the PEI, aim to bring together communities from various Montpellier-based research institutions around interdisciplinary themes to give them greater visibility. KeyUM International Initiatives: Foods: Nutrition and Food Systems Vect-OH: Infectious Risks and Vectors within a One Health Approach Water: Water Key PEI Initiatives: KIPPT: Public Policies for Transition CLAPAS: Local Collaborative Research Initiatives on Plant and Agrosystem Health

Contemporary societies face numerous, complex, and cross-cutting challenges that call into question the longevity of our development model, its sustainability, and our ability to function as a society. Whether these changes are environmental and climate-related, demographic, political, or technological (particularly in the digital realm), they challenge our ways of life, as well as our models of development, production, consumption, work organization, education, healthcare, urban planning, and mobility. These changes present opportunities but also generate risks, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. They thus pose risks of social, political, and economic disruption that directly challenge the governance of our societies. Facilitating the transition toward new, more sustainable and equitable development models has become a challenge for public actors. To address this challenge, the Montpellier campus offers a dynamic, high-level social science research environment across various disciplines: economics, law, political science, geography, education and training sciences, management, and sociology. The objective of the Key Initiative on Public Transition Policies (KIPPT) is to enhance visibility and foster local, national, and international interactions among researchers at the Montpellier campus whose work in the social sciences is related to public transition policies. On the one hand, this involves bringing researchers together and establishing a sustainable network. The KIPPT will thus help drive and stimulate exchanges and synergies and raise the profile of the Montpellier campus’s collective expertise on transitional public policies. On this basis, the KIPPT also aims to foster a “science/society” relationship by serving as a bridge between researchers working on transitional policies and public and civil society actors. To this end, various partners—such as local governments (notably the Occitanie Region and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole), businesses, and associations—are involved in the project. A Broad and Multidisciplinary Definition of Public Transition Policies KIPPT advocates for a broad definition of public transition policies, centered on the three pillars of I-Site—feeding, protecting, and caring—and beyond. It approaches public policies, public action, and governance from a multidisciplinary perspective. It brings together numerous laboratories within the I-Site’s Social Sciences cluster around three main areas of focus: Area 1: fostering exchanges between laboratories and disciplines on key sectoral themes at the site, such as climate and energy transition, ecological transition, digital transition, agricultural and food transition, mobility and transportation, and health… Axis 2: Fostering reflection on the coherence and articulation between public transition policies and integration issues. Particular attention is paid, on the one hand, to the cross-cutting issue of inequalities, and, on the other hand, to territorial projects as vectors of integration—specifically to address tensions between sectoral and territorial logics. Axis 3: Address cross-cutting issues related to the governance of transitions. Issues related to the design of public transition policies (PTPs), their public debate, and their evaluation. Issues related to the implementation of PTPs: cooperation among stakeholders, sectors, and levels of government; financing; and citizen/civil society participation, etc. Issues related to conflict and the acceptability of transition policies Issues related to the methods and instruments used: cost-benefit analyses, multi-criteria approaches, incentives, regulations, pricing, planning, transition pathways, etc. Issues related to changing perceptions, opinions, and behaviors of stakeholders regarding transitions Initiatives to foster the creation of a scientific community A call for multidisciplinary and multi-laboratory research projects “Structuring” projects “Impulse” projects A platform dedicated to KIPPT [link] Project monitoring and promotion Resource center for the community Three scientific days