Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions

What Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions does

The Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded around 2009 and headquartered in Fos-sur-Mer, within one of Europe's largest industrial-port complexes in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It conducts independent scientific research on environmental pollution and its health impacts across air, water, soil, marine, and human biomarker compartments, operating the VOCE (Volontaires de l'Observatoire Citoyen de l'Environnement) citizen observatory that has engaged structured volunteer monitoring protocols since 2013. Its technical stack combines specialized atmospheric instrumentation — including SMPS for ultrafine PM1 particle counting and ACSM for aerosol chemical speciation — with proprietary bioindication methodologies such as lichen biosurveillance, dendrochemistry for 70-year historical pollution reconstruction (developed with Université de Franche-Comté), and European conger marine bioindication (with MIO). Active research programs include the INDEX human bioimpregnation study, SULTTAN ultrafine particle monitoring, the FOS-SEA chlorination byproduct study, PERLE and OPAL PFAS biomonitoring, and the Air Santé Bayesian network health-environment study.

Name

Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions

Legal name

Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions

Website

https://institut-ecocitoyen.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institut Ecocitoyen pour la Connaissance des Pollutions is a Fos-sur-Mer-based French non-profit association conducting independent citizen-science environmental and health research across the Fos-Berre industrial zone via its VOCE volunteer observatory, specialized instrumentation, and bioindication methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Health Research Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Public Health (Food Safety, Water Quality, Sanitation) (BPAIAJAE), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Wastewater & Industrial Effluent Monitoring (NPDES/Permit Compliance) (EUAHACAD)

Keywords

• Environmental research services
• Citizen science observatory
• Industrial pollution monitoring
• Human biomonitoring studies
• Environmental bioindication

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Institut Ecocitoyen is a French non-profit research association that conducts independent scientific monitoring of environmental pollution (air, water, soil, marine environment) and human health in the Fos-Berre industrial-port zone. It operates the VOCE citizen observatory (Volontaires de l'Observatoire Citoyen de l'Environnement), enabling hundreds of volunteers to participate in structured environmental monitoring protocols, and produces peer-reviewed research, policy reports, and toxicological knowledge resources for citizens, local authorities, healthcare institutions, and research partners.

Product overview

Institut Ecocitoyen operates VOCE (Volontaires de l'Observatoire Citoyen de l'Environnement), a citizen science observatory for environmental monitoring, alongside specialized research studies including INDEX (human bioimpregnation), SULTTAN (ultrafine particle monitoring), FOS-SEA (chlorination byproduct research), PERLE/OPAL (PFAS biosurveillance), and dendrochemistry studies. The organization provides a toxicological guide as a knowledge resource, combining citizen participation with scientific rigor to study pollution across air, water, soil, and health domains in the Fos-sur-Mer industrial zone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VOCE (Volontaires de l'Observatoire Citoyen de l'Environnement): Citizen observatory program involving volunteers in environmental monitoring across air, water, soil, and health compartments. Operational since 2013.

Products and services

• VOCE (Volontaires de l'Observatoire Citoyen de l'Environnement) Citizen science observatory program that enables volunteers to participate in structured environmental monitoring across air, water, soil, and biodiversity compartments using standardized protocols in the Fos-Berre industrial zone.
• INDEX Study Human biomonitoring study measuring pollutant impregnation through biological indicators in blood and urine of residents near the Fos-Berre industrial-port zone, comparing exposures to a control group.
• SULTTAN (Suivi Long Terme de la Taille et du Nombre de particules) Long-term air quality monitoring program using SMPS (Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer) and ACSM (Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor) instruments to measure ultrafine particle counts (PM1) and aerosol chemical composition at high temporal resolution.
• Sources Study Chemical source apportionment research establishing the emission signatures of industrial pollution sources to determine their relative contributions to particulate matter in residential areas of Fos-sur-Mer.
• Marine Contamination Studies (European Conger Bioindicator) Marine environmental monitoring program using European conger (Conger conger) as a sedentary predatory bioindicator to assess organic and metallic contamination in the Gulf of Fos over the long term.
• Dendrochemistry Studies Historical environmental contamination reconstruction service using tree-ring chemical analysis to measure temporal variations in atmospheric metal pollution over approximately 70 years in the Gulf of Fos.
• OPAL Study Biosurveillance study measuring PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in blood samples of industrial workers in the Fos-Berre zone, conducted with Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Science Po Lyon, and ENTPE.
• PERLE Study Human biosurveillance study of PFAS contamination among residents living near industrial zones in France, conducted using participatory citizen involvement and biomonitoring of blood and urine samples.
• FOS-SEA Study Multi-year research project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) studying chlorination byproduct diffusion in seawater, sediments, air, and marine organisms in the Gulf of Fos.
• Air Santé Study Environmental health study using Bayesian network modeling to analyze relationships between air pollution, socioeconomic factors, and hospitalizations for various pathologies at the IRIS geographic scale.
• Lichen Biodiversity Protocol Citizen science air quality bioindication protocol based on annual biodiversity monitoring of lichens (and Xanthoria parietina thalli chemical analysis) covering large territories from Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.
• Toxicological Guide Online toxicological reference guide providing factual information on pollutants including metals (aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, mercury, nickel, lead, vanadium), PCBs, dioxins/furans, benzene, and PAHs for public knowledge dissemination.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identification of industrial particle source contributions reaching 36-43% of PM2.5 mass in spring-summer at receptor sites in Fos-sur-Mer, with steel/coking complex being the dominant industrial source
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Institut Paoli-CalmettescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Consortium Cancers et Environnement, combining the institute's environmental expertise with the cancer research institute's clinical capabilities to explore links between environmental factors and cancer in the Fos-Berre industrial territory.
• Centre Hospitalier de MartiguescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Consortium Cancers et Environnement, contributing clinical and public health expertise to research on environmental factors and cancer in the local population.
• Hospices Civils de LyonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner in the OPAL study on PFAS contamination among industrial zone workers, contributing epidemiological and medical research expertise alongside Science Po Lyon and EN TPE.
• Science Po LyonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner in the OPAL study, providing social sciences and political science perspectives on occupational PFAS exposure in industrial settings.
• École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner in the OPAL study, contributing engineering and environmental engineering expertise to the occupational PFAS exposure research.
• Laboratoire de Chimie Environnementale (LCE), Aix-Marseille UniversitécoreTechnology or IntegrationKey analytical laboratory partner for the FOS-SEA study, conducting chemical analyses of seawater, sediments, air samples, and marine organisms for chlorination byproducts. Also a partner in the Sources study for PM2.5 characterization.
• Laboratoire Chrono-environnement, Université de Franche-ComtémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading research partner in dendrochemistry methodology development, providing specialized expertise in tree-ring chemical analysis for historical environmental pollution reconstruction in the Gulf of Fos.
• Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO)majorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative partner in developing the marine bioindication protocol using European conger, contributing oceanographic and marine biology expertise to contamination assessment methodology.
• AtmoSudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAir quality monitoring association and regulatory partner, collaborating on the Sources study (PM2.5 source characterization) and HAPSIS project, providing access to continuous air quality monitoring station data.
• CEREGE (Centre de Recherche en Géologie de la Terre)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research partner in the EVALVIE project, contributing geoscience and environmental geochemistry expertise for soil contamination assessment and vulnerability index development.
• LPED (Laboratoire Population Environnement Développement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in EVALVIE project, contributing population development and environmental sociology expertise to assess social dimensions of environmental vulnerability.
• DYNAFOR (Dynamiques Forestières)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in EVALVIE project, contributing forestry and ecological dynamics expertise for environmental vulnerability assessment.
• Faculté de Pharmacie de La Timone, MarseillecoreTechnology or IntegrationLaboratory partner conducting chemical analyses of marine organisms (conger muscle tissue) for HAP, PCB, PCDD/F, and metal contamination, using USEPA priority pollutant methods.
• EDF (Electricité de France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in the FOS-SEA study, contributing research laboratory capacity for water and environmental sample analysis in the chlorination byproduct research project.
• ElengyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in the FOS-SEA study focused on chlorination byproduct research in the Gulf of Fos.
• Laboratoire de Chimie Environnementale d'Aix-Marseille UniversitécoreTechnology or IntegrationMain analytical partner for the Sources study on industrial PM2.5 source characterization, providing chemical fingerprinting and source apportionment analysis capabilities.
• Ville de Port-Saint-Louis-du-RhôneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner supporting the HAPSIS project on atmospheric HAP contamination, providing logistical and administrative support for sampling activities.
• Université Cote d'Azur / UMR ESPACE 7300 CNRSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for the Air Santé study, providing geographical health modeling expertise (Bayesian networks) to cross-reference environmental pollution data with health outcomes at the IRIS geographic scale.
• DREAL PACAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional environmental authority partner in the HAPSIS project, providing institutional support within the PRSE3 (Regional Health-Environment Plan) framework.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ADEME: French Agency for Ecological Transition. Public funder and program designer for environmental research including the EVALVIE project co-funded with the institute; an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Airparif: Approved air quality monitoring association for the Île-de-France (Paris) region. Directly comparable function (ambient air quality monitoring, citizen information) but serves a different geography and primarily an urban rather than industrial-port context.

Broad incumbents

• BRGM: French Geological Survey. Public research institution conducting soil, groundwater, and subsurface contamination studies with national scope. Overlapping competence in soil/groundwater pollution and an existing partner in the EVALVIE project (CEREGE affiliation).
• INERIS: French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks. Conducts applied research, expertise, and reference laboratory work on industrial pollution and accidental risks; a much larger public institution with broader mandate but overlapping technical areas (industrial emissions, ecotoxicology).
• ATMO France: Federation of the French approved air quality monitoring associations (AASQAs). Provides national coordination, data standards, and representation for regional air quality bodies including AtmoSud; broader scope but overlapping regulatory monitoring function.
• Institut de Recherche en Santé Environnementale et Travail (IRSET): French research institute studying environmental and occupational health. Comparable function in linking environmental exposures to population health outcomes; broader academic scope and overlapping expertise in toxicology and biomonitoring.

Emerging players

• Toxics Link: India-based environmental NGO conducting independent research and citizen engagement on pollution, waste, and toxics. Comparable citizen-science and independent-monitoring model applied to industrial contamination and emerging contaminants (e.g., PFAS).

Direct peers

• France Nature Environnement (FNE): National federation of French environmental protection associations. Shares the citizen-driven, association-based model for environmental monitoring and policy advocacy; comparable mission of independent citizen representation on environmental and health issues.
• AtmoSud (formerly AIRFOBEP): Approved air quality monitoring association for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, including the Fos-Berre industrial zone. Directly comparable in mission (ambient air quality monitoring) and geographic territory; named partner of the institute in the Sources and HAPSIS studies.
• CPIE (Union Nationale des Centres Permanents d'Initiation à l'Environnement): National network of environmental education and citizen engagement associations across France. Closely comparable association-based, citizen-driven model for environmental awareness, monitoring, and local engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-ecocitoyen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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