Japan: a new mobility programme focused on emerging scientific topics, and a new LIA on fruit biology in the context of climate change

The NARO and INRA, the principal research institutions working in agriculture, food and the environment in Japan and France, have been collaborating for many years to promote international research partnerships and reinforce their mutual efforts. In the context of the bilateral agreement signed on 29 September 2016 in support of scientific collaboration and exchanges in key areas such as the agricultural and food, animal, environmental, plant and social sciences, and other specific fields to be determined, a new step was taken on 27 June 2019 with the presentation of an agreement on a new annual and joint programme on staff mobility, the NARO-INRA Joint Linkage Call.

During the coming months, this programme will support reciprocal visits of scientists working on emergent research projects selected jointly by the two Institutes. This year, nine projects have been retained in the following areas: improving the production and yield of cattle, evaluating meat quality, controlling weeds and disease resistance, accelerating the value chain for intelligent foods and the use of massive data.

In addition, INRA, the University of Tsukuba and the University of Bordeaux have joined forces to create an International Associated Laboratory (LIA) on FRuit QUality under a Changing Environment – FreQUenCE – which will renew and intensify the close collaborations in place since 2010 in order to answer questions concerning the regulations and mechanisms involved in the control of fruit yields and fruit morphogenesis and composition.