GRAIE

What GRAIE does

GRAIE (Groupe de Recherche Rhône-Alpes sur les Infrastructures de l'Eau), operating publicly as 'Le Graie, Pôle Eau et Territoires', is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) headquartered in Villeurbanne on the LyonTech La Doua campus. Founded over 40 years ago, the organization functions as a neutral, multi-stakeholder platform that bridges scientific research and operational water management practice among local authorities, private water operators, engineering firms, urban developers, and scientists. Its core activities center on knowledge dissemination, network coordination, and professional training rather than commercial product development.

GRAIE's portfolio is organized around six long-term research observatories (ZABR, OHM Vallée du Rhône, OSR, RhônEco, OTHU, SIPIBEL) generating sustained empirical data on the Rhône watershed, five thematic working groups (stormwater, sanitation skills, treatment plants, non-domestic effluents, self-monitoring), continuing education programs delivered through INSAVALOR (Qualiopi certified) and Sepia Conseils, and international conferences (Novatech, I.S.Rivers). It also produces pedagogical artifacts such as the MèdiATeS animated video kits on medications in water, the CAUSERIE serious game on watershed coordination, and freely downloadable scientific publications including 'Le Rhône en 100 questions'. At the La Doua campus, GRAIE maintains a field demonstration site with over 40 years of stormwater management installations.

The business model is membership- and training-driven. Revenue is generated from annual member subscriptions paid by approximately 300 member organizations and from participant registration fees for continuing education courses (€1,095 for members, €1,250 for non-members, per 14-hour session, capped at 16 participants). 2,500 participants engage annually across 100 events. Publications and resources are distributed through open digital channels (website, HAL repositories), supporting broad reach without paywalls. Governance is led by Directrice Elodie Brelot, with no parent company, external funding rounds, or commercial subsidiaries.

Name

GRAIE

Legal name

GRAIE

Website

https://graie.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GRAIE is a French non-profit association that convenes 300 member organizations and 250 scientists to advance water management knowledge across local authorities, private operators, engineers, urban developers, and research institutions via research observatories, working groups, training, and conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Management Research and Professional Networking Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Water management research
• Nonprofit water association
• Stormwater management training
• Professional water networks
• Watershed research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: GRAIE operates as a non-profit association (association loi 1901) funded by member subscriptions. Members include local authorities, private operators, engineering firms, and scientific institutions. Annual membership supports access to working groups, publications, and the professional network.
2. Professional Training Services: GRAIE organizes continuing education (formation continue) programs in partnership with INSAVALOR (Qualiopi certified) and Sepia Conseils. Training programs cover stormwater management, non-domestic effluents, and sanitation. Revenue generated through participant registration fees with member/non-member pricing differentials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GRAIE is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that coordinates water management research, professional training, and networking among local authorities, private operators, engineering firms, urban developers, and scientists. It animates six long-term research observatories (ZABR, OHM Vallée du Rhône, OSR, RhônEco, OTHU, SIPIBEL) and five thematic working groups covering stormwater, sanitation, treatment plants, non-domestic effluents, and self-monitoring. Its services are funded through annual member subscriptions, Qualiopi-certified continuing education fees (delivered with INSAVALOR), and international conference registrations, and it produces open-access publications, awareness tools, and field demonstration visits at the La Doua campus.

Product overview

GRAIE (Groupe de Recherche Rhône-Alpes sur les Infrastructures de l'Eau), branded as Le Graie, Pôle Eau et Territoires, is a French water research and networking association. The organization operates as a coordination platform that connects water sector professionals—local authorities, private operators, consulting firms, urban planners, and scientists—to advance knowledge and develop water-responsible territories. GRAIE's portfolio includes six research observatories (ZABR, OHM VR, OSR, RhônEco, OTHU, SIPIBEL) studying aquatic environments and water systems, five thematic working groups, professional training programs, scientific publications and resources, international conferences (I.S. Rivers, Novatech), and specialized awareness platforms like the Médicaments dans l'eau Mediates project. The three strategic domains are Water in Cities (stormwater management, urban planning), Water and Health (treatment plants, sanitation), and Aquatic Environments (river basins, watersheds).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Programs (ZABR, OHM Vallée du Rhône, OSR, RhônEco, OTHU, SIPIBEL)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500 participants engaged annually across events, training, and working groups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ZABR (Zone Atelier Bassin du Rhône)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAIE animates the ZABR (Zone Atelier Bassin du Rhône), a long-term ecological research observatory covering the Rhône watershed. ZABR coordinates research on rivers, watersheds, and aquatic environments, bringing together scientists and managers.
• OHM Vallée du Rhône (Observatoire Hommes-Milieux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAIE co-animates the OHM Vallée du Rhône, a socio-ecological research observatory that studies interactions between human activities and the Rhône valley environment.
• OSR (Observatoire des Sédiments du Rhône)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated in 2009, the OSR mission is to inform managers about the hydro-sedimentary functioning of the Rhône river. GRAIE co-animates this observatory which has produced 12 years of research.
• INRAE REVERSAALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINRAE REVERSAAL (Research unit on water, ecosystem, and sanitation) co-animates the wastewater treatment plant working group with GRAIE, focusing on exploitation and design aspects of treatment facilities.
• INSAVALORcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerINSAVALOR is GRAIE's partner for managing continuing education registrations and delivering Qualiopi-certified professional training programs. Training logistics (registration, billing, certification) are handled through INSAVALOR.
• Sepia ConseilssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSepia Conseils is a partner in the co-delivery of continuing education programs on stormwater management, contributing expertise in integrated water management pedagogy.
• IWA (International Water Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAIE collaborates with IWA to promote the 'Water-Responsible Territories' principles (Principes Eau-Responsables), a framework launched in 2017 to help decision-makers develop and implement strategies for water-responsible territories, structured around 4 levels of action.
• RhônEcosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRhônEco is a research program on the Rhône river ecosystem coordinated with GRAIE's involvement, focusing on ecological restoration and watershed understanding.
• OTHU (Observatoire de la Terrain Hydrologique Urbain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAIE co-animates OTHU, the urban hydrology observatory, which focuses on urban water cycle management and stormwater in urban environments.
• SIPIBEL (Site Pilote de Bellecombe)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIPIBEL is a pilot site on the Arve basin in Haute-Savoie that serves as the operational basis for the MédiATeS project on medications in water. GRAIE developed pedagogical kits (videos, documentation) within this project's framework.
• Co-UDLabssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-UDLabs is an international cooperation project in which GRAIE participates, focused on collaborative urban drainage research and knowledge sharing across borders.
• ResiRiversupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResiRiver is an Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) project in which GRAIE participates, addressing river restoration and resilience topics.
• EPTB Saône & DoubssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Établissement Public Territorial de Bassin Saône & Doubs partnered with GRAIE to organize the 'Journée Connaissance Saône' knowledge event on the Saône river.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ASTEE: Association Scientifique et Technique pour l'Eau et l'Environnement is the principal French national scientific and technical association for water and environment professionals. It directly mirrors GRAIE's membership-driven, multi-stakeholder (authorities, operators, engineers, scientists) model at a national scale, making it the closest comparable in terms of mission, target audience, and knowledge-dissemination activities.
• Office International de l'Eau (OIEau): OIEau is a French public-interest organization dedicated to integrated water resource management training, documentation, and knowledge transfer. It overlaps directly with GRAIE on training delivery, water-resource documentation, and serving public-sector water professionals, with a broader geographic and international mandate.
• AITF (formerly AGHTM): Association des Ingénieurs Territoriaux de France is the French professional association for municipal/territorial engineers, including sanitation, water, and public-works specialties. It directly competes with GRAIE for the same local-authority engineering audience and runs overlapping working groups on sanitation and stormwater.

Broad incumbents

• International Water Association (IWA): The IWA is a global network of water professionals and organizations spanning research, practice, and policy. GRAIE is both a partner and a smaller-scope peer within IWA's ecosystem; IWA operates the overarching international framework (including 'Eau-Responsables' that GRAIE co-animates) and offers overlapping conferences and working groups at much greater scale.
• Veolia Eau France: Veolia is one of France's two dominant private water utilities, operating drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure at national scale. It is a member segment of GRAIE's network but operates as a much larger commercial incumbent whose internal expertise and lobbying capacity structurally exceed what GRAIE can mobilize.
• Suez Eau France: Suez is the other dominant French private water utility with national operations across water, wastewater, and environmental services. Like Veolia, it participates in GRAIE working groups as an enterprise member but competes with GRAIE's neutral platform via its own proprietary research and consulting capacity.

Others

• INRAE: INRAE is France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment. Its REVERSAAL unit co-animates GRAIE's wastewater treatment working group and contributes to the SIPIBEL and OTHU observatories; it is an enabling research partner rather than a competitor, but comparable in scale and scientific depth.
• FNCCR: Fédération Nationale des Collectivités Concédantes et Régies is the French federation representing local authorities that operate public water, energy, and waste services. FNCCR is an enabling/adjoining organization that represents a key GRAIE member segment (local water authorities) and runs overlapping working groups on water-service regulation.
• Cerema: Cerema is the French public agency for ecological and territorial transition, providing expertise on urban planning, infrastructure, environment, and risks. It is an adjoining public-sector actor producing overlapping technical guidance on stormwater, urban water, and climate adaptation relevant to GRAIE's local-authority audience.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is an international NGO focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene access in developing countries. It does not directly compete with GRAIE's French territorial water-management focus but is an adjacent mission-aligned organization and a member of the global water community in which GRAIE operates via IWA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asso_graie
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Graie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GRAIE