INRAE and JRC renew their collaboration for four years

Today in Brussels Stephen Quest, Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Philippe Mauguin, CEO of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) renewed their strategic partnership by signing a four-year agreement to continue their collaboration in the fields of agriculture, climate change, environment, health and food systems, with a view to support efficient public policies.

The signing of this new collaboration agreement continues and expands on the previous agreement between JRC - the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission - and INRAE, which was signed in 2018 . T he successful implementation and fruitful collaboration of the five past years contributed to deliver concrete solutions for policymakers and society, such as the development of the EU Soil Observatory or the improvement of methods for the meta-analysis of scientific publications to measure and monitor the impacts of agricultural systems on environment and ecosystems, in order to better advise policymakers.

The renewed collaboration agreement will focus on the following four areas:

1. Holistic approach to sustainability, with a focus on food systems, and how to develop an integrated assessment of sustainability
2. Enhanced modelling capacity (bio-physical and socio-economic dimension) related to sustainable agriculture and food systems
3. Improved EU and global monitoring frameworks: monitoring and understanding the process for natural resources (soil, water, forest)
4. Sciences for policy: developing joint methods for bringing scientific knowledge into the policymaking process

While continuing with current joint activities, this renewed agreement should also help to meet the challenges posed by the development of a holistic approach to food systems called in the Green Deal. JRC and INRAE will therefore explore ways of moving towards integrated modelling of the entire food system, covering the entire food chain from farmers to consumers, the effects of the food system on society, the economy, the environment, and the health of citizens, animals and plants. The development of methods for implementing scientific support for public policy is also becoming a key area of collaboration under the new agreement.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission plays a key role at multiple stages of the EU policy cycle by providing independent, evidence-based science and knowledge, supporting EU policies to positively impact society. The JRC works closely with other Commission departments, EU institutions and agencies, as well as with scientific partners and policy organisations in Europe and internationally, offering scientific expertise and competence from a wide range of scientific disciplines.