1. Stakeholder insight

This involves assembling multi-disciplinary knowledge using collective scientific assessments, forecasts or studies carried out under the aegis of INRAE. Certain risk assessment agencies or national, European or international entities may also call on researchers from research organisations to draw up their opinions or enter into collective contracts with certain research units.

2 . Helping design public policies and instruments

This primarily concerns the analysis and ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of public policies relating to INRAE’s themes, and their instruments. This work responds to public requests or calls for research projects. It may form part of framework agreements in which the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies are usually combined. This work may involve all disciplinary fields. It is sometimes the subject of multi-, inter- or trans-disciplinary thinktanks, which may be open to partners. This is also reflected in institute’s scientific experts’ participation in working groups or committees set up by partners.

In addition, to help design public policies, INRAE interacts regularly with members of parliament, notably via the OPECST and various committees.

Lastly, INRAE contributes to training through research and resourcing through professional or continuing training of engineers from the State or local authorities responsible for designing, implementing or evaluating public policies, as well as to the continuing training of certain elected representatives. These public policy players thus have a better scientific knowledge of certain areas in which they are active, which can help them in their missions.

3 . Scientific and technical support to implement public policies

Scientific and technical support combines technical assistance with the production of knowledge, data, models, methods and specific indicators. It mobilises specific research, combined with one-off expert appraisals and opinions, or continuing training operations… It is carried out in research units, experimental units and in specifically dedicated internal or partnership structures, as is the case for the service units of the genetic information processing centre (CTIG) or the rural development observatory (ODR), or by platforms, as in the case of Oqali,AgroSyst, or epidemiosurveillance platforms in animal health, plant health and food chain surveillance. This work may form part of large-scale framework agreements with ministries and their departments (DGPR, DEB, DGAL, DGS, etc.) or with operators dependent on them (OFB, ADEME, ONF, etc.). This aspect of public policy support can also be organised through structures with legal personality such as public interest groups and economic interest groups, such as the GEVES public interest group.

Expertise in various forms: collective scientific expertise, individual expertise, international expertise, etc.

At INRAE, the term “expertise” is used in a broad sense to encompass a wide range of activities, both in terms of how they are carried out and their purpose. The categories of expertise proposed here do not all correspond in the strictest sense to the existing normative definition.

• Collective scientific expertise, foresight and studies

Expertise covers the coordination of and participation in collective scientific expertise (ESCo), foresight or studies steered by INRAE’s Collective Scientific Expertise, Foresight and Studies Department (DEPE). It also includes the participation of INRAE staff in collective scientific assessments, forecasts or studies coordinated by other higher education or research bodies, public policy players, agencies or consultancies.

• Participation in various organisations

This may involve chairing, leading or participating in committees, technical secretariats or permanent or temporary working groups in expert assessment agencies (ANSES, EFSA, etc.), for regulations or standardisation (AFNOR , CEN, ISO, etc.), or in permanent bodies (scientific councils, policy boards, etc.), non-academic public operators (ministries, agencies, local authorities) or learned societies whose purpose is to support public policies.

• Other forms of expertise, particularly project expertise (national or international)

Expertise covers all forms of individual or collective expertise designed to answer a specific question submitted by a partner involved in the implementation of a public policy, at whatever stage and whatever the public or private status of that partner. This includes, in particular, expert appraisals in support of control services (for example, in the safety of hydraulic engineering structures, or in the field of health). The deliverables can take a variety of forms: reports, tools, methods, guides, etc.