Establishment of an International Centre dedicated to water in Montpellier (France)

The Institut montpelliérain de l’eau et de l’environnement (Montpellier Institute of Water and the Environment) (IM2E) has been a reference in France since 2015 in the field of water sciences, with more than 400 scientists and 150 PhD students belonging to 15 research units. A new step has been taken in terms of international recognition, with its transformation into an international UNESCO centre*, thanks to the signature of a three-party agreement between the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, UNESCO and the University of Montpellier. The objective remains the same: that of combining research and education through a cross disciplinary approach and cooperation. Eric Servat, its Director, declared:

We want to provide expertise both in technologies and governance relating to water in vulnerable regions, in particular by focusing on problems linked to unbridled urbanisation, demographic pressure and the foreseeable effects of climate change.

IFGR hails the establishment of this International Centre of reference, which is essential for developing knowledge and sharing it better.

*A category 2 centre according to UNESCO classification, known officially as ICIREWARD: International Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics.