Isabelle Bourdeaux – Head of the Expertise Support Department, Risk Assessment Division, Anses (testimony from 2021)
“Our department is responsible for putting together groups of experts, managing administrative relations and ensuring that the expert assessments run smoothly. The expert selection process is collective, formalised and rigorous – it can take up to 6 months for the Specialised Expert Committees (CES). Scientific skills are paramount, with at least 3 years’ experience in the field and several publications required. Potential conflicts of interest are analysed in order to guarantee the independence of the expertise. However, a link with a private partner does not automatically exclude an application and each link is specifically analysed. We are constantly seeking to renew our pool of experts in all fields, including the humanities and social sciences. We are aware that the difficulties involved in promoting and recognising expertise can hold scientists back, especially at the start of their careers. Nevertheless, this activity offers many opportunities. It gives us the chance to work with high-level scientists from a wide range of disciplines while helping to protect public health and the environment.
Testimonial from our thematic dossier
Thematic dossier
INRAE scientists in ANSES collective assessments
Expertise is a clearly stated mission of INRAE in the INRAE 2030 strategic plan. It mobilises the skills of scientists acquired through their research and puts them at the service of collective issues. This mission takes a variety of forms, including providing expert advice to public agencies. Every year, around a hundred scientists from the Institute contribute their expertise to the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) and sit on a number of Anses committees.
At the beginning of 2020, the Anses sent us a list of all INRAE scientists appointed to the agency’s various expert groups as at 1 January 2020. This data provides a “snapshot” of INRAE scientists working as experts in the Agency’s various groups.
In order to publicise, share and document this expertise and public policy support activity, the Public Policy Support Division has carried out an analysis of this data. This summary also presents Anses and the expert function within this agency, a non-academic public partner with which INRAE maintains close links.
