On 17 January 2024, Catherine Lagneau, CEO of BRGM, took part in the inauguration of the new Hydropolis La Valette building in Montpellier, alongside the other supervisors of the G-Eau Joint Research Unit: Inrae, Cirad, IRD, AgroParisTech and Institut Agro Montpellier.
© BRGM
In Montpellier on 17 January 2024, BRGM took part in the inauguration of the Hydropolis La Valette buildings intended for the teams of the G-Eau Joint Research Unit.
Hydropolis, a science park in Montpellier, unique for France and dedicated to water science
Hydropolis is an ambitious project to bring together all the water research resources in Montpellier. Montpellier is a world-class science capital in relation to this major issue, which is exacerbated by climate change. Hydropolis is a key component of the ICIREWARD International Centre, the first UNESCO research and training centre dedicated to continental water in France and one of the largest in the world.
The Valletta campus specialises in interdisciplinary and participatory research into integrated and adaptive water management and is one of two sites in the Hydropolis project, along with the Pharmacy campus, which focuses on the characterisation of water resources and contaminants and their health impact.
The purpose of the La Valette site redevelopment is to develop collaborative research with companies, public sector partners and associations.
The areas of research relate to:
- technology and tools for controlling irrigation water inputs;
- adapting to risks (drought and flooding);
- water and regional governance and support for water stakeholders.
BRGM has a long-standing presence in the water sector in Montpellier
For almost 30 years, BRGM has been developing a research unit in Montpellier that now includes hydrogeologists, economists and sociologists working on integrated water resource management.
The National Geological Survey joined the G-eau Joint Research Unit as a supervisory body in 2021, alongside its other supervisory bodies: INRAE, Cirad, IRD, AgroParisTech and Institut Agro Montpellier.
The UMR Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages (Water Management, Actors and Territories Joint Research Unit) includes 90 permanent researchers and engineers and around fifty PhD and post-doctoral students from all disciplines working together on integrated and adaptive water management issues.
