INRAE is the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment stemming from the merger in 2020 of two leading research organisations: INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research) and IRSTEA (National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture). INRAE has as its mission to carry out excellent science in order to provide innovative solutions addressing global challenges, notably climate change, biodiversity and food security while at the same time enabling the much-needed agroecological, nutritional and energy transitions. This research also serves policy making from regional to international levels, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. With more than 250 research and experimental units (within 18 regional research centres and in 14 scientific departments), INRAE works in close cooperation with a wide range of external partners (farmers, industry groups, SMEs, NGOs, regional governments, higher education, etc.) supporting a continuum between fundamental research and applied research and fostering a cross-disciplinary approach. It has a well-established network of national and European-led research infrastructures providing the data and services required to advance public and private research. INRAE received the European Commission’s Human Resources (HR) Excellence in Research Award. It has put forward Open Science as one of its priorities by setting up an Open Science Directorate and various tools to facilitate the uptake of open methods by its researchers.
