Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement

What Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement does

Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) is a French public scientific and technological establishment founded in 1943 and headquartered in Marseille, operating as the central instrument of France's official development research policy. Its functional mission is to deploy interdisciplinary scientific research — spanning climate science, oceanography, biodiversity, public health, agriculture, and social sciences — across more than 50 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and French overseas territories, in partnership with local institutions. The institute's core operating model is the 'equitable scientific partnership', implemented through 80 joint research units (Unités mixtes de recherche, UMR) co-supervised with French and international partners, complemented by Laboratoire mixte international (LMI), Jeune équipe associée à l'IRD (JEAI), and International Research Network (IRN) devices. IRD also maintains regional delegations in mainland France (Occitanie, Sud-Est, Île-de-France & Ouest), a Brussels representation, and field offices in French overseas territories, supported by a multi-language digital ecosystem comprising the institutional website (ird.fr), the IRD Lab geolocation and partner-collaboration platform, the IRD le Mag' science magazine, and the monthly IRD en bref newsletter.

IRD does not operate commercial pricing. It is funded primarily by the French government through the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, with complementary co-funding from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Commission. Revenue mechanics are therefore public-grant based rather than transactional. Customers in a commercial sense do not exist; instead, IRD serves three primary constituencies: international partner research institutions and universities (collaborators in joint research), developing-country governments and public institutions (recipients of research-driven capacity building), and French overseas territories (recipients of scientific expertise on local environmental and health questions). The institute is GDPR/RGPD compliant, operates a dedicated Data Protection Officer, and routes all IRD Lab data processing through French national territory only, reflecting its public-law status and accountability framework.

Leadership is exercised by Présidente-directrice générale Valérie Verdier, supported by a Direction de la communication et du partage de l'information headed by Anaïs Rieu. Governance is overseen under French public-establishment law, with no parent company, no private shareholders, and no commercial equity instruments. Strategic posture is captured in the tagline 'Déployer la recherche, partager la science, transformer l'avenir' and in the 2026 fourth-edition Trophées de l'innovation, which signal a measured pivot toward research valorisation and entrepreneurship while preserving the institute's foundational public-mandate model.

Name

Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement

Legal name

Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)

Website

https://ird.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) is a French public research institute founded in 1943, headquartered in Marseille, conducting interdisciplinary sustainable-development research across 50+ countries through 80 joint research units in partnership with international institutions, developing-country governments, and French overseas territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Scientific Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK), Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs) (HLAJAKAA), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

Keywords

• Scientific research
• Sustainable development
• Climate science research
• Tropical disease research
• Oceanography research

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseilles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public research funding: IRD is a French public research institute (établissement public à caractère scientifique et technologique) funded primarily by the French government. The institute operates as a central player in France's development research ecosystem, deploying scientific research that benefits developing nations.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRD conducts interdisciplinary scientific research on global sustainable development challenges through 80 joint research units (Unités mixtes de recherche, UMR) and partner programs (LMI, JEAI, IRN), deployed in more than 50 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, and French overseas territories. Core research domains include climate science, oceanography, biodiversity, public health (vector-borne and tropical diseases), agriculture, food security, and social sciences, with programs co-funded by the French government, the European Commission, the French Development Agency (AFD), and partner institutions.

Product overview

IRD operates as a research institute present in more than 50 countries, offering a multi-platform digital presence. The core offerings consist of the main institutional website (www.ird.fr) for public information, the protected IRD Lab collaboration platform for geolocating research activities and partner management, the IRD le Mag' science magazine featuring thematic dossiers and research highlights, and the monthly IRD en bref newsletter. This portfolio forms a unified science communication and collaboration ecosystem serving both public audiences and the scientific community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IRD le Mag': Online magazine covering sustainability science news and research stories from IRD and its partners.
• IRD Lab
• IRD en bref

Products and services

• Site Web IRD (www.ird.fr) Main institutional website serving as the public-facing portal for IRD, providing access to institutional identity, research domains, global presence information, news, publications, and resources for the public, press, and scientific community.
• IRD Lab (lab.ird.fr) Protected web application for visualizing and geolocating IRD's research activities, cataloging research devices, scientific teams, personnel, and partners worldwide; facilitates collaboration between IRD research teams and partners globally.
• IRD le Mag' IRD's science magazine featuring articles on sustainability science, research highlights, thematic dossiers (e.g., ocean year, AIDS research, mosquitoes), and news coverage of IRD activities.
• IRD en bref IRD's monthly newsletter providing subscribers with updates on the institute's scientific news and activities.
• Scientific research partnerships through joint research units (UMR, LMI, JEAI, IRN) IRD's core research service: collaborative scientific research conducted with partner institutions and universities through the UMR, LMI, JEAI, and IRN frameworks. Spans climate science, oceanography, biodiversity, public health (vector-borne and tropical diseases such as AIDS and mosquito-borne infections), agriculture, food security, and social sciences, deployed in more than 50 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, and French overseas territories.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national research institution collaborating through joint research units (UMR) as co-supervisor of numerous mixed research structures
• Aix-Marseille UniversitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor French university partner hosting numerous joint research units and collaborating on scientific programs
• French Development Agency (AFD - Agence française de développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench public development finance institution supporting IRD research and development projects in partner countries
• French Ministry for Europe and Foreign AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry overseeing France's international development cooperation and research diplomacy
• European CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU institution co-funding international research projects and scientific cooperation programs
• IRD Lab Platform Partners (hundreds of institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of international research institutions, universities, government agencies, and NGOs listed in the IRD Lab collaboration database, including partnerships across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Pacific, and French overseas territories

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CIRAD: The French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development is the closest direct peer — also a French public research institute focused on sustainable development research with developing countries, headquartered in Montpellier. Highly comparable mandate, governance structure, and geographic footprint.
• Institut Pasteur: A globally recognized French research foundation with deep focus on infectious diseases, including tropical and mosquito-borne diseases that are also core IRD research areas. Directly comparable for the global health component of IRD's mandate, with international research presence in endemic countries.
• United Nations University (UNU): The UN's academic arm conducts policy-relevant research on sustainability and development with global reach — directly comparable in mission to bridge international science and policy for developing countries, with a similarly distributed geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment is a much larger French public research body with overlapping mandates in agricultural and environmental science. Comparable as a public research peer and frequent co-supervisor of joint research units with IRD.
• CNRS: France's largest public research organization spans all fields of science. It is both a core partner (co-supervising many UMRs with IRD) and a broad incumbent operating in the same national research ecosystem with overlapping scientific domains.
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) research programs: Sweden's development cooperation agency funds and conducts research partnerships with developing country institutions, paralleling IRD's model of government-backed equitable scientific cooperation with the Global South.
• Wellcome Trust: One of the world's largest charitable foundations funding global health research. Comparable as a major non-commercial funder and convener of international research partnerships in areas (infectious disease, climate-health) that overlap with IRD's health portfolio.

Emerging players

• CGIAR: The global partnership of international agricultural research centers addresses food security and climate adaptation in developing countries — a substantial overlap with IRD's agricultural and sustainable development work, but with deeper specialization and a dedicated donor funding model.
• IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis): An international scientific institute conducting systems analysis on global environmental, economic, and technological change — overlapping with IRD's climate, biodiversity, and sustainability research domains, though focused on modeling rather than field science.

Regional players

• German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS): Germany's leading think tank on development research and policy, with comparable focus on global development challenges and intergovernmental scientific cooperation, though based in Bonn and operating primarily through policy research rather than field science.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ird_fr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoV6J24qg5SZKVHAQzqhIUg
• Facebookfr-fr.facebook.com/IRD.fr
• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/ird_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/ird_fr/?hl=fr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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