Collaborative research

Are you a private firm, professional federation, NGO, local authority, etc. wanting to work towards sustainability and support players and value chains in tropical and Mediterranean regions? We do too! From analysing a given context to implementing solutions, we suggest sharing our commitment and expertise to work on projects for the future.

Are you a project leader? Do your questions go beyond a simple technical framework with clearly defined results and call for collaborative research? From feasibility studies to identifying funding sources, our expertise and scientific methods and multi-player networks in tropical and Mediterranean regions can help you.

Research to support innovation and make your projects sustainable

Working together to build innovative solutions, through R&D

Are you looking to build an approach, a set of practices or an innovative solution to boost the output, sustainability, territorial integration and coherence with market demand of the products you make that stem from tropical and Mediterranean value chains? Are you prepared to share the knowledge you have built up through new scientific research projects and publications? We support such initiatives, in response to calls for projects from donors or by means of bilateral partnerships via co-funding of theses.
We have already signed multi-year contracts with several leaders of up-and-coming value chains, around scientific strategies in favour of agroecology or of developing those value chains. Among other things, our partnerships encompass varietal creation, long-term reduction of pesticide use, specifications for labelling schemes, etc.

Making joint commitments to development

You are committed to sustainability and biodiversity as ways of guaranteeing the future of our resources and value chains... But how can you be sure that what you are doing is truly beneficial in terms of achieving the SDGs and for local communities?
Because we cannot just roll out solutions developed in temperate zones and under the economic context of the global North to the rest of the world, CIRAD and its partners can support your projects in tropical and Mediterranean regions. You can boost the efficiency and transparency of your operations with:

pre-studies of your projects and their feasibility as regards the territories concerned and their potential impacts, whether positive or negative
innovative methods built over our 85 years of experience and ongoing improvement operations
multi-criteria approaches, selecting appropriate indicators to monitor projects and ensure transparency
support for transfer and training operations, thanks to partners on the ground
value chain expertise and local research, development (NGOs, etc) and innovation networks.

Cirad’Innov, a source of proposals for value chains and territories

With our knowledge of current and future issues on the ground, we can identify and build technological solutions that satusfy the needs of tropical and Mediterranean value chains. To transform research results into innovations by rolling out and scaling up solutions, we are always on the lookout for partners interested in participating in their technical and commercial development.
Give your commitment to agriculture or the environment in Africa, Asia or Central and Latin America a head start and find new ways of building your operations: we can help you explore all the possibilities by means of innovation startups.

Incubation for development
Cirad’Innov® is also an new producits and services incubator (NPSI). Each year, the NPSI selects the most advanced, relevant projects in terms of field applicability and economic interest, in line with CIRAD's priority topics and value chains. It then fosters their technical, legal and collaborative development with a view to possible transfers to economic players. The project teams benefit from support and from initial funding to allow them to confirm their proof of concept, secure the project and confirm its market potential by means of market research. This is good news for partners looking for solutions with an advanced TRL.

From talking the talk to walking the walk

Each year, CIRAD works on some eight hundred projects, with various types of partners. A large share of those projects, in partnership with public institutions and stakeholders on the ground, are aimed at economic, social and environmental development, through research and in support of producers in tropical and Meditarranean regions. For the remainder, the research focus is more on developing innovations or resolving specific technical issues.

Depending on your objectives, our marketing and project management staff can help you, and:

fine-tune your project and expectations, and identify the scientific teams that could help you
ensure that your projects fits in with their scientific aims
mobilize CIRAD's scientific networks to support implementation on the ground, if necessary
identify potential calls for projects to provide co-funding
help stakeholders submit projects under such calls
promote your results and partnership by means of project communication tools and the Cirad’Innov brand.