Merger of IRSTEA and INRA
As of 1 January 2020, IRSTEA (National Institute for Research in Sciences for the Environment and Agriculture) and INRA (National Agronomy Institute) will merge to become INRAE, National Institute for Research in Agriculture, Food and the Environment. INRA employs about 8400 people and IRSTEA about 1500.
Decrees N°2019-1045 and N°2019-1046 creating INRAE were published on 12 October in the official journal.
The aim of this new establishment is to become one of the world leaders in public research in the fields of agriculture, food and the environment.
Climate change, erosion of biodiversity, environmental degradation, pollution and depletion of fossil resources are problems that must be addressed through transformations in agriculture, food and the environment.
This transition must evolve towards a low-carbon, circular agriculture, healthy and sustainable food, adaptive resource management, concerned with environmental preservation and risk management.
The complementary areas of expertise of IRSTEA and INRA will help create research excellence to address these societal challenges.
