Agropolis Fondation

What Agropolis Fondation does

Agropolis Fondation is a French non-profit research foundation established in 2007 and headquartered in Montpellier at the heart of the Agropolis International campus, a major global cluster for agricultural research. The foundation functions as a grantmaking and coordination body for agronomic and agroecological research, funding projects through formal calls for proposals evaluated by scientific committees. It does not sell commercial products or services; instead, it channels funding from approximately 30 financial partners (governments, corporate foundations, international philanthropic organizations) into research conducted across 41 partner research units and 1,600 researchers.

The foundation's portfolio comprises flagship multi-year research projects (PRETAG for tropical pesticide reduction, PROPULSE for West African legumes, MOMAC for Mediterranean agro-ecosystem monitoring, ClimOliveMed for Mediterranean olive adaptation, and Plant Health for socio-ecological crop health) as well as collaborative platforms such as Pl@ntNet. Co-founded by five major French research and academic institutions (CIRAD, IRD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier), the foundation holds ISO 9001:2015 certification. Since founding, it has committed €68.5 million across 563 funded projects, supported 900 PhD students, and produced 1,020 scientific publications.

The foundation serves three primary stakeholder groups: research institutions and universities conducting agronomic and sustainable development research (primary segment), individual researchers and doctoral students (secondary segment), and international development organizations working on agricultural issues in the Global South (secondary segment). Its value proposition centers on providing funding access, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration across a concentrated research cluster, and enabling large-scale flagship initiatives on complex challenges like climate change adaptation and food systems transformation. On November 18, 2025, the foundation announced it will rebrand to One Science Foundation, reflecting an expanded ambition to federate and support science across broader global challenges beyond agronomy.

Name

Agropolis Fondation

Legal name

Agropolis Fondation

Website

https://agropolis-fondation.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

French non-profit research foundation based in Montpellier that funds agronomic research projects across 41 partner research units and 1,600 researchers, having committed €68.5 million to 563 projects since 2007.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Funding Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Agronomic research funding
• Agroecological transition
• Research grants
• Sustainable agriculture research
• Plant science foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: As a foundation, Agropolis Fondation generates no commercial revenue. It receives funding from financial partners including governments, private foundations, and corporate sponsors to provide grants and support for agronomic research projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Agropolis Fondation is a non-profit research foundation that funds and coordinates agronomic research projects supporting agroecological transition. It operates grant programs, flagship multi-year research projects, and collaborative platforms (such as Pl@ntNet) for researchers and research institutions, channeling approximately 68.5 million euros to 41 research units and 1,600 researchers working on plant biology, agroecology, climate change adaptation, and sustainable food systems.

Product overview

Agropolis Fondation is a research foundation that funds and supports agronomic research for agroecological transition. The organization operates through flagship research projects (PRETAG Initiative, PROPULSE, MOMAC, ClimOliveMed, Plant Health) and collaborative platforms (Pl@ntNet), supporting scientific research units and funding project calls across tropical and Mediterranean agriculture. It functions as a coordination and funding body rather than a traditional product company, with no unified software platform but rather a portfolio of research initiatives and programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PRETAG Initiative Multi-actor flagship research initiative documenting, analyzing, and defining strategies for pesticide reduction in tropical agriculture, covering five supply chains across three continents. Designed for agronomic researchers and policy stakeholders concerned with sustainable tropical agriculture.
• PROPULSE Flagship project promoting sustainable intensification in West Africa through improved production and processing of legumes from farm to fork, focusing on Benin and Burkina-Faso. Targets West African agricultural research and legume value chain development.
• MOMAC Flagship project monitoring Mediterranean agro-ecosystem responses to climate change from field to landscape scale, implemented through a micro-landscape observatory in a vineyard. Designed for agronomic and climate adaptation researchers across the Mediterranean region.
• ClimOliveMed Comparative research project on the sustainability of Mediterranean olive growing, studying varietal diversity and farming systems as assets for climate change adaptation. Targeted at Mediterranean agricultural researchers and olive sector stakeholders.
• Plant Health Interdisciplinary research project on plant health in socio-ecological ecosystems, focusing on three crops in Ivory Coast and Cambodia. Designed for researchers studying plant pathology, agroecology, and tropical crop systems.
• Pl@ntNet Collaborative network and IT platform dedicated to the compilation and sharing of tools and knowledge in botany for plant identification and research. Used by botanists, researchers, and citizen scientists for plant identification and biodiversity documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 563 projects funded with 40% average success rate
• +3 more outcomes

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.

• CIRADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution of Agropolis Fondation. CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement) is a key research partner providing scientific expertise in agricultural research for development.
• IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution. IRD contributes expertise in development research and international scientific cooperation, particularly for projects in the Global South.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution. INRAE is France's largest agricultural research institute, contributing extensive scientific research capacity in agriculture, food, and environment.
• Institut Agro (Montpellier SupAgro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution. Agricultural higher education and research institution providing academic expertise and training in agronomy and plant sciences.
• Université de MontpelliercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding university contributing academic research capacity and student training support to the foundation's activities.
• Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian agricultural research corporation collaborating on international research projects, particularly in tropical agriculture and plant genetics.
• African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram focused on building capacity and advancing careers of women working in agricultural research in Africa.
• SEARCA (Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Education and Research in Agriculture)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional center providing graduate education and research support for agriculture in Southeast Asia.
• Inria (Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique)strategicTechnology or IntegrationFrench research institute contributing digital and computational expertise for agricultural research projects requiring modeling and data analysis.
• Tela BotanicastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of botany enthusiasts and researchers supporting plant identification and biodiversity documentation projects including Pl@ntNet.
• SATT AxLRstrategicTechnology or IntegrationTechnology transfer company supporting the maturation and transfer of research innovations to market applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture: Independent foundation supporting smallholder farmers and sustainable agriculture through research funding and partnerships. Directly comparable in mission and grantmaking model, with similar focus on tropical agriculture and developing-country research capacity.
• FARM Foundation: French foundation focused on sustainable agriculture and food security, supporting research and development initiatives. Directly comparable as a French-based agricultural research foundation, and an existing financial partner of Agropolis.
• Biovision Foundation: Swiss foundation supporting ecological farming and sustainable agriculture through research funding and advocacy. Directly comparable as a European research grantmaker focused on agroecology and smallholder farmer outcomes, and an existing financial partner of Agropolis.
• Howard G. Buffett Foundation: Private foundation funding agricultural research and food security initiatives, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. Comparable as a research grantmaker focused on agricultural development and smallholder resilience, with overlapping thematic focus on sustainable agriculture.
• Agreenium: French consortium bringing together higher education and agricultural research institutions to coordinate agronomic research and training. Comparable as a French convening and coordination body for agricultural research, closely aligned with several of Agropolis's co-founding institutions.
• CGIAR: Global agricultural research consortium that funds and coordinates international research on food systems, climate adaptation, and sustainable agriculture. Directly comparable to Agropolis Fondation as a multi-donor, project-based research grantmaker in agronomy, operating at a much larger scale and global geographic reach.
• Fondation Daniel & Nina Carasso: French philanthropic foundation supporting sustainable food systems and civic-minded art, including research funding in agroecology. Comparable as a French research grantmaker with overlapping agenda on sustainable food systems, and an existing financial partner of Agropolis.

Broad incumbents

• BNP Paribas Foundation: Corporate foundation of BNP Paribas supporting research in sustainable development, climate, and social innovation. Comparable as a major European corporate research funder, and an existing financial partner of Agropolis.
• Fondation de France: One of France's largest philanthropic foundations, distributing funds across multiple causes including environment, agriculture, and research. Comparable as a large-scale French grantmaking institution with significant agricultural research funding, and an existing financial partner of Agropolis.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Agricultural Development): One of the largest philanthropic funders of agricultural research globally, supporting projects like One Planet Fellowship that Agropolis also participates in. Functions as both a peer and a major donor to Agropolis, with a vastly broader mandate across global health and education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agropolis-fondation

Compliance1 record

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 Agropolis Fondation