Agropolis Fondation
Agropolis Fondation, extended name "Montpellier Agricultural Sciences and Sustainable Development” was created in France on February 21, 2007, by the three initial founding institutions INRA, CIRAD, and Montpellier SupAgro. It constitutes the legal frame of the thematic network for advanced research (RTRA) "Agricultural Sciences and Sustainable Development", a network of research units (further described below), selected in 2006 together with twelve other networks for advanced research in various disciplines ("e.g." Paris School of Economics) by the French Ministry for Research and higher education. The Foundation is to promote the development of scientific projects of international level (research programmes  and education through research) in the field of agronomy and sustainable development in relation to both North and South issues. Scientific frame of the network. The network scientific priorities relate to the following global issues: The network is composed of high level scientific teams, organized in two tightly connected fields: The thematics involved are centering on the plant : the plant, from the gene to the whole plant; the plant in its environment; plant products and their food and non-food uses… A network of research units. In 2007, the network is composed of 29 research units (including 19 joint research  units and 10 in-house research units); About 780 scientists are involved: Aims of the Foundation. The Foundation aims to: To fulfill these aims, the foundation will support incoming high level foreign scientists, finance post-doctoral and doctoral positions, contribute to the development of structuring technological projects ("i.e." technical platforms, shared equipment…), support thematic training sessions and scientific events of international importance, as well as various others actions (release from teaching duties, support for the setting up of international projects…). The Foundation’s actions are to be linked to those of the Agropolis International association to allow Montpellier institutions involved  in agricultural sciences as a whole (totalizing approx. 2300 scientists) to reach the same international repute as other agricultural research institutes at European (e.g. Wageningen University, with 1400 scientists) or international (e.g. the CGIAR centers network, with 1800 scientists) level. For example, since 2009 the foundation is part of the consortium supporting Pl@ntNet, an app for automatic plant identification through photographs.