Marie Ange Ngo Bieng, a forest ecologist with CIRAD, speaking at the Global Landscapes Forum, Bonn, 2019 © Pilar Valbuena/GLF

Science diplomacy support

CIRAD is a major French science diplomacy player whose expertise and global research allow it to respond to the current context of multiple crises. It contributes to French multilateral scientific cooperation and global development policy.

The complex challenges facing today's world require a coordinated, integrated response on the part of science, on a global level. France plays a strategic role in international efforts, via science diplomacy. CIRAD – a public research organisation under the dual authority of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs – contributes to French science diplomacy by making its technical expertise and scientific knowledge available to inform public decision making.

Boosting global scientific expertise

While remaining rooted in the field and in concrete, contextualised issues, CIRAD relies on its many and varied scientific partnerships to build comparative approaches and produce generic knowledge and innovations. Its work centres on six priority research topics:

Two global challenges

  • Biodiversity
  • Climate change

Three levers for action

These research topics provide a framework to favour the development of solutions that address agricultural, environmental and health issues effectively.

  • Agroelogical transitions
  • Food systems
  • One Health

One operating scale for maximum impact

  • Territoires and collective action

This remit fits neatly into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

CIRAD also supports the French authorities during international talks, via multilateral organisations (G7, Conferences of the Parties to the UN Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification, FAO symposium, etc).

CIRAD is also constantly working, alongside its partners, within major global coalitions involving at least three continents and federating a wide range of stakeholders.

Lastly, some of our scientists are members of global bodies at the science-policy interface, or are secnded to global organisations such as FAO in Rome.

Contributing to French and European policy

French international development policy fits into the framework determined by the international community, particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development. It  also tallies with The new European consensus on development, adopted in 2017.

Within France, CIRAD works closely with the Agence française de développement (AFD). Under a multi-year framework agreement renewed in 2024, AFD funds a number of our R&D projects. Our strategic priorities are also aligned with those set by the French State.

CIRAD also supports European Union international development policymaking, notably Euro-African dialogue. It is involved in EU initiatives and instruments, such as the Horizon Europe and Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) programmes.

Training junior scientists from tropical and Mediterranean countries

With a view to co-constructing knowledge and to mutual learning, CIRAD is helping to build capacity among societies in tropical and Mediterranean countries, to allow them to take on board the knowledge required to achieve sustainable development. 

That engagement means:

  • scientific exchanges (hosting and supervision at our installations, provision of training at our partners' facilities in tropical and Mediterranean countries, joint scientific leadership, organisation of seminars, etc);
  • co-supervising research theses: more than 200 PhD students from tropical and Mediterranean countries are hosted each year in our research teams and projects;
  • co-constructing diploma training courses with partner universities in tropical and Mediterranean countries, including some twenty Masters courses, and creating innovative teaching products (MOOCs, e-learning courses, etc).

sees them,