LPED

What LPED does

LPED (Laboratoire Population Environnement Développement, UMR 151) is a French public research laboratory founded in 1984 and headquartered at the Centre Saint-Charles campus of Aix-Marseille Université in Marseille. Operating under the dual supervision of Aix-Marseille Université and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and affiliated with OSU-Pytheas and IRD's SOC department, LPED brings together approximately 50 researchers, teacher-researchers, and engineers plus around 20 PhD students across 13 disciplines — Anthropology, Demography, Ecology, Economics, Geography, Geomatics, History, Sociology, Statistics, Ethology, Legal Sciences, Agronomy, and Transdisciplinarity. Its mission is to produce interdisciplinary research at the interface of social sciences and environmental sciences, focused on population–environment–development interactions in diverse geographic contexts spanning France, West and East Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Belgium.

LPED's core technological and methodological assets include the Plateforme Collections, which manages an herbarium of approximately 300,000 specimens and zoological collections conserved for over two centuries, with data referenced in GBIF and digitized through the national E-RecolNat programme; the GRAPHITE participatory urban geography platform, developed over four years of high-school experimentation in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region; the IRN RAEE international research network on emerging epidemic anthropology spanning seven laboratories across seven countries; and research observatories such as the Parc Urbain des Papillons. The lab also publishes the 'Les Impromptus du LPED' open-access book series (9 volumes since 2016) and maintains over 50 active research programs covering population dynamics, environmental management, migration, health, and urban ecology. Data infrastructure is supported through KoboToolBox, R statistical tooling, Zotero, and HAL open-archives deposit.

LPED is funded entirely through institutional grants from its parent organizations (AMU and IRD) and competitive research funding from public bodies including ANR, European programs, Region Sud, and FRB. It does not sell products or services, charges no fees for its outputs, and operates under collective governance since January 2024 (Cogouv). Its primary 'customers' are the academic research community, doctoral students, and public-policy stakeholders who consume its publications, datasets, and methodological tools through open-access channels.

Name

LPED

Legal name

Laboratoire Population, Environnement, Développement (LPED)

Website

https://lped.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LPED is a French public research laboratory (UMR 151) under Aix-Marseille Université and IRD that conducts interdisciplinary research on population–environment–development interactions across 13 disciplines, serving the academic community through open-access publications, heritage natural history collections, and participatory science platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic 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

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

Keywords

• Interdisciplinary research laboratory
• Population dynamics studies
• Environmental social science
• Global development research
• Demographic observatory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: LPED is a public research laboratory (UMR 151) receiving institutional funding from its parent organizations: Aix-Marseille Université (AMU) and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD). Additional institutional affiliation to CNRS departments (SAS, ECOBIO). Revenue supports core research missions, personnel, and infrastructure.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LPED is a public French research laboratory (UMR 151) jointly supervised by Aix-Marseille Université and IRD that conducts interdisciplinary scientific research on population dynamics, environment, and development in the Global South. It hosts around 65 researcher-teacher members and 60 PhD students, runs two operational research platforms (POPEYE and PEPPS), and publishes the SUD collection. Its work combines population health, environmental studies, and social-science analysis to inform public-action actors and academic partners.

Product overview

LPED (Laboratoire Population Environnement Développement) is a public multidisciplinary research laboratory operating under dual supervision of Aix-Marseille Université and IRD. Rather than a commercial product company, LPED offers a portfolio of research platforms, methodologies, and publications. The core offerings include: Les Impromptus du LPED (a publication series started in 2016), the GRAPHITE participatory urban geography platform for citizen science, the Plateforme Collections for biodiversity data management integrated with GBIF, the IRN RAEE international research network on epidemic anthropology, and the Parc Urbain des Papillons urban butterfly observatory. LPED also provides shared research infrastructure including data management support (KoboToolBox, R training) and hosts over 50 active research programs spanning environmental, social, and health domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les Impromptus du LPED: A collection of books created in 2016 publishing works on Population, Environment, and Development themes.

Products and services

• POPEYE Platform Operational research platform hosted by LPED that supports the laboratory's interdisciplinary research activities on population, environment, and development.
• PEPPS Platform Operational research platform hosted by LPED that supports the laboratory's interdisciplinary research activities on population, environment, and development.
• SUD Collection Scientific publication series associated with LPED that disseminates research outputs through Éditions IRD, aimed at public-action actors and the wider research community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Butterfly species increased from 17 to 34 at the Parc Urbain des Papillons (PUP) urban biodiversity site between 2010 and 2020 following ecological management interventions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• LMI Bioinca (Laboratoire Mixte International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024LMI Bioinca is a Mixed International Laboratory involving Ecuador, Colombia, and France, coordinated through LPED's Wasilab project. The laboratory focuses on Interdisciplinary Sustainability Sciences in Ecuador, with teaching and doctoral school components, research collaboration, and shared infrastructure across three countries.
• IRN RAEE (International Research Network - Anthropologie des Épidémies Émergentes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The GDRI-Sud / IRN RAEE is a groupement de recherche international Sud created in January 2021 (renewed January 2025 for 4 years) grouping 7 research laboratories across 7 countries focused on emerging epidemic anthropology. LPED (France-Marseille, M. Egrot) participates alongside CERfig (Guinea), CRCF (Senegal), CUB (Côte d'Ivoire), IRSS (Burkina Faso), LAMA (Bénin), and TransVIHMI (France-Montpellier). The network develops joint research on social experiences of epidemics, produces training curricula, and publishes open educational resources.
• MOVIDA (Laboratoire Mixte International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOVIDA is a multi-site international laboratory (Burkina Faso, France, Morocco, Niger, Senegal) with four institutions and three competencies: research, training, and valorisation. LPED members Aguillon, Balizet, Bredeloup, Dinia, and Khrouz participate. LPED is listed as the lead institution for MOVIDA.
• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive collaboration on heritage natural science collections, particularly through the Plateforme Collections at LPED. MNHN participates in the national E-RecolNat digitization programme and the Regional Network of Natural History Museums.
• Herbiers de Kew et de GenèvemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on botanical collections and systematic research. The herbaria at Kew (UK) and Geneva (Switzerland) are key international partners for the LPED Plateforme Collections, which manages approximately 300,000 herbarium specimens.
• OSU-Pytheas (Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLPED is affiliated with OSU-Pytheas, a large research infrastructure of Aix-Marseille Université. The affiliation provides LPED with shared access to observatories, research equipment, and interdisciplinary collaboration frameworks. LPED contributes to OSU-Pytheas's sharing of knowledge and participatory science missions.
• Réseau National des Herbiers de FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLPED's Plateforme Collections is integrated into this national network of French herbaria, contributing to shared digitization, data standards, and collaborative research on botanical collections across France.
• Réseau Régional des Muséums d'Histoire NaturellemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLPED collaborates within the regional network of natural history museums, working with the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Toulon et de Marseille, contributing to shared collection management and scientific research.
• Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) - Centre de recherche en démographiemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ROAM-BE project (Research on African Migrants in Belgium) is coordinated by researchers at UCLouvain's Centre for Demographic Research together with IRD, in collaboration with Université Libre de Bruxelles and Université de Gand, with support from the Fondation Roi Baudouin.
• Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP), Université Ki Zerbo, OuagadougoumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within the ANR MARGES project (Transformations of family norms in Africa). The ISSP at University of Ki Zerbo in Burkina Faso is a key partner for interdisciplinary research on family dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Université Catholique de Madagascar, AntananarivomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within the ANR MARGES project, collaborating on research examining family norms and transformations in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
• Université de Lomé - Unité de Recherche DémographiquemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within the ANR MARGES project, collaborating on demographic and anthropological research on family transformations in Lomé, Togo.
• ITEM (Institutions, Territoires, Environnement et Métiers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an academic partner in the 'Trajectoires' project (urban wastelands research), alongside LPED, LIEU, CEREGE, IMBE, LCE, TELEMME, FNE PACA, GERM, La Citadelle, Ville de Marseille, Région Sud, and MNHN.
• Université Catholique de Louvain / Université libre de Bruxelles / Université de GandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partners in the ROAM-BE project studying African migrants and their descendants in Belgium, coordinated with IRD researchers including LPED's Marie-Laurence Flahaux and Laura March.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Urmis (Unité de Recherches Migrations et Société): Université Paris Cité/IRDS UMR studying migrations and society. Directly comparable to LPED because both analyze population dynamics in the Global South within a French UMR framework, sharing the same funding and disciplinary blends of demography/anthropology.
• UMR PASSAGES: CNRS UMR in Bordeaux conducting interdisciplinary research on territories, transitions, and social dynamics. Comparable to LPED because both bridge social sciences and environmental/territorial research under similar public UMR governance and funding structures.
• UMR DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation): IRD/Université Paris Dauphine UMR doing development economics research in developing countries. Directly comparable to LPED because both are IRD-affiliated UMRs sharing parent institutions, Global-South field sites, and a strong quantitative/social-science blend.
• CEPED (Centre Population et Développement): UMR jointly supervised by IRD and Université Paris Cité that studies population-health-development interactions in the Global South. Directly comparable to LPED because both are IRD-affiliated UMRs blending social and health/development research with strong Southern field sites and similar funding models.
• UMR ESO (Espaces et Sociétés): CNRS/Univ Rennes UMR focused on geography, society and environment in Western France and beyond. Directly comparable to LPED because both are mid-sized French UMRs doing interdisciplinary social/environmental research with mixed social-science and ecology expertise.
• UMR CESSMA: Inalco/IRD/Université Paris Nanterre UMR focused on social sciences of Africa, the Americas and Asia. Directly comparable to LPED because both conduct Southern-area social science research, share IRD-affiliated governance, and operate similar thematic publication/dissemination practices.

Broad incumbents

• EHESS (École des hautes études en sciences sociales): Major French national social science research and training institution spanning anthropology, sociology, history and economics. Broad incumbent peer because it sits upstream of LPED as a larger national social-science research brand with overlapping disciplinary depth and similar French public-research status.
• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN): France's national natural history museum and research institution, including taxonomy, botany and zoology collections. Broad incumbent peer to LPED because it shares the heritage collections infrastructure (LPED uses Kew/Geneva/MNHN partnerships through Plateforme Collections) and the systematic biology domain LPED works in.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement): French public institute for agricultural research and international development cooperation, with tropical/Mediterranean field programs. Broad incumbent peer to LPED because both operate publicly funded international development research networks with permanent field sites across the Global South on similar themes.
• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food and environment. Broad incumbent peer to LPED because it is the dominant French public environmental/ecology research establishment, partnering with and competing against LPED for environmental-science grants and talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lped151

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LPED