Thanks to its geographical location close to the Mediterranean Sea and its history at the University of Montpellier, the research and training organizations associated with the iSite MUSE and the incubation and innovation systems involving companies have always "looked towards the South ”and in particular towards Africa. Strong partnerships have been built on this basis in many academic fields and technology applications.
We have deliberately oriented this thematic animation towards focal points linking the University of Montpellier and its African and French partners in the field of frugal technologies to care for, nourish and protect. Within the framework of these 2 days we will have "the head in the stars", but also "the feet on the ground".  

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  Head in the stars ”: The space sector has become highly strategic for many African states wishing to acquire their own space capacity for water resources monitoring applications, deforestation, illegal fishing or for assistance to agriculture. Rather than the purchase of turnkey space systems, the desire of many governments is to acquire their own competence by training the managers and technicians of their future agencies. These training courses lead to the construction and launch of nanosatellites, a field in which the University of Montpellier has developed internationally recognized expertise. We will discuss the possible partnerships and we will explore the different possibilities of cooperation.  

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"Feet on the ground": The role played by space and remote sensing is complementary to other sensors and systems that are developed in rural areas and cities, on the ground or in proximity sensing, leading to decision support applications in agriculture, environment and health.

These technologies are at the service of human populations, their economic activities and the environment to sustainably improve the functioning of farms and agricultural sectors, health care systems and prevent climatic and health risks.

In agriculture, the Convergences Institute in Digital Agriculture #DigitAg brings together more than 570 experts from 16 public and private partners and 29 research units covering the research, training, innovation continuum and developing a partnership with Africa. #DigitAg is a player in the MUSE ecosystem and implements interdisciplinary research between agricultural sciences, engineering sciences (computer science, mathematics, electronics, physics), social and management sciences (economics, sociology, management).
Regarding health, whether global, environmental or in interaction with the environment through human and animal diseases (tropical diseases, neglected diseases, zoonoses, vector-borne diseases), Montpellier is a recognized place for its research in CHU or in the Dedicated research institutions (INSERM, IRD) or with a transversal vocation (ISDM-UM, Cirad, INRAE), most of which have a strong activity in the South, particularly in Africa. We will discuss the development of existing partnerships and exchanges in research, training and innovation.

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All conferencescan be accessed remotely

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