MUSE I-SITE

The « Montpellier University of Excellence » project gathers the forces of 19 institutions towards a common ambition: create in Montpellier a thematic research-intensive university that will be internationally recognized for its impact in the fields of agriculture, environment and health. For all its consortium members, this university strives to act as the academic partner they can establish strong ties with, and on which they can fully rely.

Collective intelligence to address societal challenges

The vision of a Planet with seemingly unlimited resources is coming to an end, and the world needs to sustainably manage limited and finite natural resources. Continuing human population growth increases the need for goods and services, resulting in substantial alteration of most ecosystems on Earth and food safety difficulties for the most fragile populations. At the same time, populations face novel health problems that may be linked to environmental issues or lifestyles (infectious diseases, chronic pathologies). Resulting factors – such as biodiversity loss, climate change, disturbance of the water cycle, changes in land use (urbanization, deforestation, intensive farming), food and nutrition insecurity, increasing number of toxic agents – bring the world to face unprecedented challenges and rely on scientific research for providing sustainable solutions to a series of issues that include: emerging diseases in man, plants, and animals, human health alterations, increasing pressure on ecosystems and the environment, non-sustainable management of natural resources such as those derived from agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture systems, and more.

Three major societal challenges

With significant scientific concentration in the Montpellier area in the fields of Agriculture, Environment and Health, MUSE brings together a scientific, institutional and economic community to address three major intertwined challenges that are consistent with the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change:Feed, Protect, Care.

Towards a thematic research-intensive university

To address these challenges, the University of Montpellier and its 18 partners seek to create a thematic research-intensive university that will be internationally recognized for its impact in the fields of agriculture, environment and health.
For all its consortium members, this university strives to act as the academic partner they can establish strong ties with, and on which they can fully rely.