New research agreements signed with New Zealand
PRESS RELEASE - On 30 and 31 March 2023, INRAE CEO Philippe Mauguin signed four cooperation agreements with Science New Zealand involving the Crown Research Institutes it represents, in the fields of agriculture, food, bioeconomy and the environment. These agreements will strengthen bilateral and regional collaborations in the Pacific to address the challenges of climate change and the protection of "One Health".
Published on 31 March 2023
This visit was an opportunity to complete the framework agreement signed by the parties in June 2020 with a new funding tool for cross-mobility of young scientists with the aim of developing new projects on food, biodiversity, water, soil, landscapes, forests or the aspirations of indigenous people.
It was also the occasion to inaugurate the new International Associated Laboratory (LIA) on biobased products, and to pave the way for two LIAs on the adaptation of perennial plants to climate change and on the quality of meat products.
The Crown Research Institutes - Science New Zealand have been INRAE’s main partner in New Zealand for over 30 years. A framework agreement for cooperation between INRAE and Science New Zealand was signed remotely in 2020 during the pandemic. During this visit to Wellington, a funding tool complementing the framework agreement and 3 new projects were signed with Science New Zealand on behalf of all its members, or with specific institutes like Scion and AgResearch.
The signing of the INRAE - Science New Zealand agreement for a cross-mobility programme (Joint Linkage Call, JLC) will thus enable the initiation of new collaborations on jointly selected topics: biodiversity and ecosystem services, healthy and sustainable food, carbon-neutral and climate-resilient agri-food, forest and natural ecosystems, soils, landscapes and sustainable water resources, circular bioeconomy, but also indigenous peoples' aspirations for land-use planning and sustainability.
Furthermore, a new BIOMATA International Associated Laboratory (LIA) on biobased products was initiated with the Scion Institute, the University of Montpellier and l’Institut Agro.
Several Science New Zealand institutes have also agreed to become involved with INRAE in the development of two new projects. The first concerns a future International Research Project (IRP) AgriForAdapt between Science NZ, INRAE and CNRS as well as several New Zealand universities, dedicated to the observation and modelling of the adaptation of perennial crops (such as fruit trees) to climate change. The second LIA project involving the AgResearch Institute, INRAE and Bordeaux Science Agro addresses the quality of meat products.
In addition, the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) would like to strengthen its contribution to the PREZODE initiative on the prevention of zoonotic disease emergence, for example with case studies on a regional scale in the Pacific.
PRESS RELEASE - During a visit to Wellington (New Zealand) by an INRAE delegation, a formal agreement for the creation of BIOMATA (Biorefinery for Sustainable Materials), a new International Associated Laboratory (LIA) was signed on 30 March by Philippe Mauguin, CEO of INRAE and Helen Anderson, the Board Chair of Scion, in person. Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, and Carole Sinfort, Director General of the Institut Agro Montpellier, also signed the agreement. Using plant biomass resources, BIOMATA will supply basic and applied knowledge for the development and use of biobased materials in the products of tomorrow. Research will reflect a circular economy approach that minimises the ecological footprint of manufacturing processes and makes a product’s end-of-life options a part of the design phase.
BIOMATA: a new International Associated Laboratory (LIA) for biobased products with the Scion institute in New Zealand