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The Quality Seminar, which is organized by the QuaRES Association (Qualité en Recherche et en Enseignement Supérieur), will once again be attracting more than a hundred participants this year, from all over the world. As Léandre Mas*, co-organizer of the event and founding member of QuaRES, says: "we want to help people implement quality approaches and to provide analysis tools to support the drafting of quality programmes ".
For some years now, public research and higher education organizations have been including concerns that correspond to a quality approach (traditionally used in private firms) in their strategic objectives. Following a diagnosis of what exists, quality managers make proposals for improvements and begin to work with general management on a plan of action comprising overall objectives and performance indicators.

Quality at CIRAD

An overall plan aimed at promoting management of quality in research has been drawn up for the period 2009-2011, at CIRAD. It has four main objectives: to confirm the quality improvement targets within the organization; to consolidate the structure of the quality system; to coordinate current and future operations; and to assess the results in order to boost the performance of the approach.
Since the year 2000, several CIRAD research units and laboratories have adopted a quality approach and are now certified or accredited (ISO 9001 and ISO 17025):
- The Water, Soil and Plant Analysis Service Unit (the first certified structure at CIRAD)
- The natural rubber laboratory, part of the Agropolymer Engineering and Emerging Technologies Joint Research Unit (UMR IATE)
- UMR BGPI (Biology and Genetics of Plant-Pathogen Interactions for Integrated Protection Joint Research Unit)
- The wood preservation laboratory, part of the Production and Processing of Tropical Woods Internal Research Unit (UPR).

The 2009 Quality Seminar
This year's seminar will begin with a look at quality policies and quality management indicators in the research sector. Representatives of French institutions (Ministry of Higher Education and Research, evaluation agencies and research centres) will be telling the participants about their own experiences. Full sessions in the form of testimonials and workshops will then go on to cover the main aspects of quality in research and higher education, to enable the participants to discuss different practices.
The Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) will be presenting the quality approach it has adopted and that it applies when selecting research projects. Testimonials, including one on "the integrated quality/safety management system at the Institut Pasteur" will also be on the agenda.

A book on quality approaches in research and higher education in France is to be published by Editions Quae in September 2009. It includes declarations by general managements at public establishments and the experiences of research and higher education laboratories and of certified and accredited scientific platforms. It recounts the difficulties encountered, but also the first successes, and the range of situations and approaches. The French organizations that have adopted a quality approach are also listed.