Irstea  - National Research Institute of Science  

and technology for Environment and Agriculture 

Irstea’s multidisciplinary expertise enables Irstea  

to bring solutions to technological, industrial  and social 

challenges in the agricultural and environmental fields.

Recognized by its public and private partners,  

for its track record for innovation, Irstea has been  

awarded the Carnot Institute label (all units included)  

since 2006.

Partner of business in ecotechnologies and sustainable services 

www.irstea.fr

An institute addressing economic 

and societal demands

Irstea provides in-depth expertise of 

current trends (technologies, regulations, 

market trends) and disruptive innovation 

to a variety of partners and stakeholders:

  Public authorities (Ministries, 

ONEMA, water agencies, local 

authorities, technical institutes)

  Corporations (EDF, Veolia , Suez ... )
  Consultants and engineering 

companies (Asconit Consultants, Artelia ... )

  Technology providers (Sulky-Burel, 

Pellenc, AGCO, John Deere ... )

  Start-ups, spin-offs, NGOs

In 2013, Irstea co-lead 13 theses 

with companies. Its incubator in 

Montpellier provided scientific and 

logistic support to several start-ups.
Irstea actively develops and protects 

patents, software, databases, and 

vegetal varieties, marketed by its 

active and professional licensing 

department (dvt@irstea.fr).

Skills

Irstea’s multidisciplinary expertise ranges 

from engineering to social sciences, 

and provides systemic and sustainable 

solutions to complex problems

 

 Thermal, energy , fluid mechanics
 Hydrology and Hydrobiology

© UMR TETIS - Irstea

Target markets

• 

Water management and treatment

• 

 Treatment and valorization of 
organic waste

• 

Agricultural equipment 

• 

Ecotechnologies

• 

 Agro -industrial and refrigeration 
technology

• 

 Environmental engineering and 
restoration

• 

 Natural and environmental risk 
prevention and management

• 

 Management of natural resources  
- water, forests, biodiversity

• 

 Environmental management 
(biodiversity, ecosystemic services)

• 

 Planning and sustainable 
development of territories

© Irstea - P. Mauricrace

© Irstea

 Chemistry and Ecotoxicology
 Process Engineering
 Mechatronics, robotics , embedded 

systems

 Environmental Engineering,
 Environmental Observation and 

Remote Sensing

 Usability, design methods, health and 

safety of operators

 Environmental Analysis, Life Cycle
 Geomechanics, geomaterials, 

geosynthetics

 Safety of hydraulic structures and 

protection, risk sciences

 Scientific computing and Multi-scale 

modeling

 Resource Management and Territorial 

Development

 Systems of geographic and territorial 

information

 Analysis and evaluation of public 

policies