Deadline: 15-Sep-22

The Agropolis Fondation has launched an appeal to fund international mobility to promote agro-ecological transition for tomorrow’s agricultures.

Aims

The present CfP aims to:

• consolidate the international recognition of the network’s scientific excellence;
• grow and/or capitalise on strategic themes for the Fondation;
• strengthen or initiate partnerships of scientific excellence for the Fondation’s charter members in hosting senior foreign researchers;
• encourage the international mobility of young French researchers (Masters, PhD students, post-docs & young scientists) from the Fondation’s network.

Thematic Coverage

The scope is designed to generate proposals addressing the various themes identified under each of the three crosscutting axes, which are fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 12, 13 and 15.

• Axis 1: Agriculture and climate change: adaptation and mitigation Under this axis, the aim is to understand the effects of climate change on agricultural systems (from genes to landscapes, from local to international levels, and from short-term to long-term) and to explore/propose adaptation strategies and mitigation measures. Among the key issues, the following themes may be the subject of research and training proposals:
  • interactive biotic and abiotic stresses on plants, animals and other living organisms, and risks associated with political, social and economic factors;
  • socio and agro-ecosystem co-viability and co-benefits, synergies, tensions, trade-offs;
  • vulnerability and resilience of territories: tools, practices, strategies, policies;
  • enhanced crop-livestock integration.
• Axis 2: Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity Under this axis, the aim is to document and analyse the measures and policies that support the conservation, and promote sustainable use of biodiversity in various agroecosystems. Among the key issues, the following themes may be the subject of research and training proposals:
  • the links between biophysical functions and biodiversity: study of the microbiota, crop associations, wild, domestic, improved and hybrid biodiversity, etc.;
  • agrobiodiversity through its ecological, economic and sociocultural functions;
  • studies including controlled conditions, field experiments and real agrosystems;
  • interactions between biodiversity, food security and plant health;
  • policies (from conservation to exploitation, from local to international scales) on practices and territories: land tenure, use and access rights, protected areas, sustainable use/management, biodiversity offset, Payment for Ecosystem Services, etc.
• Axis 3: Responsible production and consumption Under this axis, the aim is to contribute in ensuring sustainable food systems by moving towards more responsible production and consumption. Among the key issues, the following themes may be the subject of research and training proposals:
  • food environments: food landscapes, food deserts, food swamps;
  • co-designing agro-ecosystems with stakeholders (e.g., farmers, policy-makers, experts, etc.);
  • governance of sustainable food systems (certification and quality of production, public regulations, role of companies, coordination of sectors);
  • bio-economy in circular economy in food and non-food systems, to include, among others efficient waste and resource management;
  • animal and/vs plant-based proteins (food transformation);
  • innovation and socio-ecological transformation.

Categories

• Incoming mobility: This category aims to give scientists and researchers from international, regional or national public research institutions around the world (North and South) the opportunity to work with their counterparts in the Fondation’s scientific network (preference will be given to new mobilities and to scientists who have never been to Montpellier). Two potential types of support are envisaged:
  • Long-term incoming mobility: foreign post-doc or young scientist coming to France for a minimum of 4 months within a unit of the Fondation’s network;
  • Medium-term incoming mobility: hosting of a senior researcher within a unit of the Fondation’s network for between 1 and 3 months;
• Outgoing mobility: This category aims to help young scientists from the Fondation’s network research units to establish links and work with their international counterparts; or to enable PhD and/or Master students supervised by scientists from the network research units to spend part of their training in international research centres. One potential type of support is envisaged:
  • Outgoing mobility of young scientists and PhD or MSc students (6 months maximum).

Funding Information

Up to €450k are available for this CfP which will fund two types of projects. A maximum of €30k can be requested for each mobility.

Eligibility Criteria

• A submitted proposal should tackle at least one of the crosscutting axes.
• The lead proponent should be from one of the research units belonging to the Fondation’s scientific network (Labex Agro).
• Scientists from research units or institutions outside of the Fondation’s scientific network can participate as partners.
• Long-Term Incoming Mobility
  • Only foreign (non-French) candidates administratively linked to a foreign public scientific institution (research and/or higher education) and who do not live in France, can apply for inbound mobility.
  • Foreign candidates from the private sector are not eligible to apply under this CfP
  • Young scientist candidate should be an early career scientist or lecturer in a permanent position with a PhD obtained in the last 10 years and is under 40 years old, by the CfP deadline
  • The visiting scientist commits himself/herself to deliver seminars/conferences during his/her stay
• Medium-Term Incoming Mobility
  • Only foreign (non-French) candidates administratively linked to a foreign public scientific institution (research and/or higher education) and who do not live in France, can apply for inbound mobility.
  • IMPORTANT: Note that proposals submitted under this category are expected to promote long-term scientific partnerships between the scientists/researchers and institutions involved. Any proposal submitted will be analyzed with regard to this objective.
  • Foreign candidates from the private sector are not eligible to apply under this CfP.
  • The visiting scientist commits himself/herself to deliver seminars/conferences during his/her stay.
• Outgoing Mobility
  • Young scientist and engineer, PhD and MSc students should be no more than 40 years old by the time of application.
  • Young scientist should be an early career scientist or lecturer in a permanent position with a PhD obtained in the last 10 years by the CfP deadline
  • engineers should be permanent staff and administratively related to a research unit from the Fondation’s scientific network.
  • PhD students and MSc students should be supervised and hosted in a research unit from the Fondation’s scientific network located in France.
  • For MSc level, a single application may cover for up to two students provided that they work as a team, with complementary expertises/approaches, the mobility is carried out in the same field, and they have the same supervisor.

For more information, visit https://www.agropolis-fondation.fr/Appel-a-mobilites-internationales