Key challenges facing the Occitanie region
Advancing regional research to better preserve biodiversity, better combat vector-borne diseases, imagine the viticulture and oenology of tomorrow, or meet the collective challenges of the water cycle... These are just some of the scientific challenges to which the University of Montpellier and its regional partners intend to respond by taking on 4 of the 15 "key challenges" identified and supported by the Occitanie Region.
The " key challenges " are initiatives launched by the Occitanie Region to support the collective dynamics of research players in Occitanie. Around strategic issues for our territory, they aim to encourage the structuring of scientific communities and thus make regional research even more collaborative, visible and attractive, and to produce research of excellence consistent with the Region's political priorities, in particular the Transformation Plan-Green New Deal adopted at the Plenary Assembly on November 19, 2020. Each Key Challenge receives regional support of €2m to implement their action plan over a 4-year period.
Among the 15 challenges supported by the Region, the University of Montpellier is leading the "key challenges" on the themes of biodiversity, water, infectious risks and vines and wine, in collaboration with numerous partners throughout the region.
BIODIVOC key challenge
Officially launched on April1, 2021, the aim of the Biodivoc project is to develop fundamental research in ecology and evolution around the theme of "Dynamics, resilience and management of biodiversity and ecosystems subject to human-induced environmental pressures".
RIVOC Key Challenge
Officially launched on March 18, 2021, the aim of the RIVOC "Infectious Risks and Vectors" project is to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to improve the understanding, surveillance and control of these diseases and their vectors.
VINIDOCC Challenge
The "Innovation for the viticulture and oenology of the future in Occitania" project was launched on September 16, 2022 to conduct multidisciplinary, fundamental and applied research, and imagine new practices for the viticulture and oenology of tomorrow.
Water Occitanie Key Challenge:
The Water Occitanie project aims to develop know-how on wastewater reuse, design and analyze infrastructures, equipment and governance to meet the constraints of local stakeholders, produce an assessment of the consequences on the scale of large watersheds, and analyze the cumulative capacity to meet the collective challenges of the large water cycle.
