UMR Eco&Sols

What UMR Eco&Sols does

UMR Eco&Sols (Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Biogéochimie des Sols & Agroécosystèmes) is a French Joint Research Unit headquartered in Montpellier that brings together four public research institutions — INRAE, IRD, Institut Agro Montpellier (formerly Montpellier SupAgro), and CIRAD. The unit employs 70 permanent staff drawn from these parent institutions and is organized around three research themes: soil biodiversity and ecological functions, soil-plant interactions and biogeochemical coupling, and carbon balance in the context of global climate change. Its research focuses on Mediterranean and tropical agroecosystems and is supported by a network of staffed experimental sites in France, West and Central Africa (Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon), East Africa (Madagascar), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos), and Latin America (Brazil, Costa Rica).

Core technical assets include the ECOTROP experimental platform (a quarantine-capable facility with phytotron, controlled-environment greenhouses, microbiology laboratories, and a mycotheca), the DIAMS Mediterranean agroforestry experimental site near Montpellier, the RubberFlux eddy-covariance tower in Thailand, the EUCFLUX site in Brazil, and proprietary methodological tools such as Biofunctool® (a nine-indicator field soil-health scoring framework) and RhizoTEST (an ISO-standardized biotest for assessing pollutant bioavailability in soils). Educational offerings include the MOOC Agroecology on the France Université Numérique (FUN) platform, professional development courses for agricultural professionals and teachers, summer and themed research schools, and contributions to engineering and master's programs at Institut Agro Montpellier and the University of Montpellier.

Eco&Sols is not a commercial enterprise and generates no product or service revenue. Its operations are funded through public research grants from agencies including the French National Research Agency (ANR), the European Union (DeSIRA program), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), ARES (Belgian Development Cooperation), ADEME, and various French ministries, alongside institutional support from its four parent institutions. Its primary constituencies are the parent institutions and partner universities, agricultural professionals receiving training, and the broader scientific community that consumes its publications, datasets, and methodological tools.

Name

UMR Eco&Sols

Legal name

UMR Eco&Sols (Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecologie Fonctionnelle & Biogéochimie des Sols & Agroécosystèmes)

Website

https://umr-ecosols.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UMR Eco&Sols is a French public Joint Research Unit with 70 permanent staff from INRAE, IRD, CIRAD, and Institut Agro Montpellier, conducting soil-ecology and biogeochemistry research across France, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America via experimental platforms, training programs, and international partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Research Services in Soil Ecology and Agroecology

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Health & Biological Testing Services (Microbial Activity, Organic Matter, Respiration) (AFACAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA), Biochar & Carbon-Based Soil Builders (AFABAKAG)

Keywords

• Soil ecology research
• Biogeochemical cycle analysis
• Agroecosystem research
• Soil health assessment
• Agronomy higher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public research funding: Research projects funded by various sources including research institutes, French National Research Agency (ANR), foundations, ADEME, and ministries (agriculture, environment, foreign affairs)

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UMR Eco&Sols is a public Joint Research Unit that conducts functional ecology and biogeochemistry research on soils and agroecosystems. It studies the role of soil organisms and plants in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, develops soil health assessment tools (e.g., Biofunctool), operates experimental platforms (e.g., ECOTROP, DIAMS, RubberFlux, EUCFLUX), and delivers higher education and professional training in agronomy and agroecology.

Product overview

UMR Eco&Sols is a Joint Research Unit (Unité Mixte de Recherche) with approximately 70 permanent staff from INRAE, IRD, Institut Agro Montpellier, and CIRAD. Rather than a commercial product company, the unit offers research infrastructure, experimental platforms, and methodological tools for soil and agroecosystem research. Core offerings include the ECOTROP platform for soil analysis and quarantine, the DIAMS Mediterranean agroforestry experimental site, and specialized tools like Biofunctool® for soil health assessment. Educational offerings include MOOCs on agroecology, professional training courses, and research summer schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biofunctool A field assessment tool that aggregates 9 low-tech indicators through a synthetic index to score soil health. Designed for farmers, students, researchers, engineers, and technicians to evaluate and monitor soil quality.
• ECOTROP Platform A laboratory platform habilitated to import, analyze, and store soils requiring quarantine measures, particularly samples from tropical countries. Includes phytotron, climate-controlled greenhouse, microbiology and preparation laboratories, morphometric analysis facilities for roots, and a mycotheca.
• MOOC Agroecology A massive open online course on agroecology run by Montpellier SupAgro and implemented on the France Universite Numerique (FUN) platform, with the first session launched in late 2015.
• DIAMS Experimental Site Dispositif Instrumente en Agroforesterie Mediterraneenne Sous contrainte hydrique — an experimental site located in Mauguio (Herault), 10 km southeast of Montpellier, featuring a factorial experiment with agroforestry, annual cropping, and forest plantation modalities with irrigated and non-irrigated treatments.
• RubberFlux Site A measurement site located at the Chachoengsao Rubber Research Center (CRRC) in Thailand, equipped with eddy-covariance flux measurement tower and weather station for monitoring carbon and water fluxes in rubber plantations.
• EUCFLUX Site An eddy covariance facility in Brazil enabling continuous monitoring of water, carbon, and energy exchanges between soil, commercial eucalyptus plantation, and the atmosphere. Part of the SOERE F-O-RET network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed Biofunctool soil health assessment method with 9 field indicators
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• IRN CaSAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Soil carbon for sustainable agriculture network in Africa, co-led by IRD component of Eco&Sols and University of Antananarivo's Radio-Isotope Laboratory (LRI).
• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four parent institutions of the joint research unit. INRAE researchers work within Eco&Sols on soil biogeochemistry, rhizosphere ecology, and agroecological research themes.
• IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four parent institutions of the joint research unit. IRD provides international research capacity with extensive networks in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• CIRAD (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four parent institutions of the joint research unit. CIRAD contributes tropical agricultural research expertise and partnership networks in developing countries.
• Institut Agro Montpellier (formerly Montpellier SupAgro)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four parent institutions of the joint research unit. Provides higher education integration and campus facilities at La Gaillarde.
• LMI IESOL (Intensification Ecologique des Sols cultivés en Afrique de l'Ouest)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Mixed Laboratory bringing together IRD, CIRAD, ISRA, UCAD, University of Thiès, INERA (Senegal), and University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) for ecological intensification of cultivated soils in West Africa. Scientific, technical, and training platform for sustainable soil management.
• LMI EDD-BioDiv (Ecologie, Développement Durable et Biodiversité)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Mixed Laboratory on ecology, sustainable development and biodiversity. Initiated in 2020, renewed for second phase 2025-2030. Led by Kanvaly Dosso (LEDD) and Sébastien Barot (IESS-Paris) with Lydie Lardy coordinating for Eco&Sols.
• CoSav (Communautés de Savoirs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge Communities network supported by IRD for sharing scientific knowledge across research institutions.
• IRN CaSA (Carbone du sol pour une agriculture durable en Afrique)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Research Network focused on soil carbon for sustainable agriculture in Africa, coordinated by T. Razafimbelo (Univ. Antananarivo) and T. Chevallier (Eco&Sols). Active since 2013.
• DP HRPP (Hevea Research Platform in Partnership)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDispositif en Partenariat with Kasetsart University and Rubber Authority of Thailand for rubber plantation research. Includes RubberFlux measurement site with eddy-covariance tower for CO2 and water flux monitoring.
• AFES (Association Française pour l'Étude du Sol)minorOthersFrench association for soil study. Eco&Sols staff are active members.
• AsiaFluxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network for measuring CO2 and water exchanges in terrestrial ecosystems across Asia. Eco&Sols contributes through Thailand measurement sites.
• DyTAES (Dynamique pour une Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal)minorOthersScientific network for agroecological transition in Senegal.
• Hélio-SPIR (Réseau Spectroscopie Proche InfraRouge)minorOthersScientific network for near-infrared spectroscopy research.
• RESMO (Réseau Matières Organiques)minorOthersNetwork for organic matter research in soils.
• Laboratoire des Radio-Isotopes (LRI), University of AntananarivoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership (15+ years) for soil research in Madagascar. Laboratory equipped for routine soil analysis, soil biology studies, and isotope analysis.
• FOFIFA-DRFGRN (Centre National de Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research center in Madagascar for applied rural development, focusing on sustainable forest ecosystem management and agroforestry systems.
• USP/ESALQ (University of São Paulo)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on forest plantation research, particularly Eucalyptus and Acacia monoculture and mixed-species plantations at the Itatinga experimental station. Also involved in EUCFLUX project.
• UNESP BotucatucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for biogeochemical cycle research in tropical forest plantations.
• UNICAMP (University of Campinas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for spatial modeling of carbon and water cycles using satellite imagery and regional-scale simulations.
• SOERE F-O-RET (ORE Plantations Forestières)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for forest plantation research supported by Ecofor, Allenvi, and ANAEE-F national research infrastructure.
• Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, HanoiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Eco&Sols researcher Didier Lesueur in Vietnam. Focus on soil health, coffee and pepper systems, and microbial biotechnology.
• Common Microbial Biotechnology Platform (CMBP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network on microbial biotechnology with 70+ members across 19 countries, founded by CIRAD, Alliance, and Deakin University. Based in Hanoi.
• ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre), YaoundéflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cocoa agroforestry research in Central Africa, analyzing sustainability and biogeochemical cycles in shade cocoa systems.
• IRAD (Institut de la Recherche Agricole pour le Développement), CamerooncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural research institute for development in Cameroon.
• LabEx Cemeb (Centre Méditerranéen de l'Environnement et de la Biodiversité)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediterranean Environment and Biodiversity Laboratory of Excellence, part of the French Investments for the Future program. Eco&Sols participates in its activities.
• 4 per 1000 Initiative (Les Sols pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et le Climat)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative for soil carbon sequestration for food security and climate. Contact: Jean-Luc Chotte.
• TSARA / Soil AfricAOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between African and French institutions for agricultural and food systems research. Contacts: Isabelle Bertrand and Christophe Jourdan.
• ISRA (Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenegalese agricultural research institute, partner in LMI IESOL and LEMSAT laboratory operations.
• UCAD (Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner university in Senegal for soil and environmental science education and research.
• ENSA (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agriculture), ThièsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agricultural school in Senegal for training and research collaboration.
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS university partnership for NSF-PIRE project and shrub research initiatives in West Africa.
• University of WageningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch university partnership for agricultural research collaboration.
• Kasetsart University, ThailandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university for rubber plantation research in Thailand, hosts HRPP platform and RubberFlux measurement sites.
• Land Development Department, ThailandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department collaborating on soil health assessment and Biofunctool development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CIRAD: French agricultural research center for international development, and another parent institution of Eco&Sols. CIRAD operates tropical and Mediterranean agricultural research programs with a comparable tropical-research footprint, particularly in coffee, rubber, and smallholder systems.
• IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture): CGIAR research center focused on tropical agriculture in Africa. Comparable in operating large multi-country tropical research networks, often in collaboration with French research institutions, and in working on soil health and sustainable intensification.
• EMBRAPA: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, a large public agricultural research enterprise with a strong tropical soil and forest plantation research portfolio. Directly comparable in tropical agroecosystem research, including eucalyptus and acacia systems studied by Eco&Sols in Brazil.
• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment, and one of Eco&Sols' four parent institutions. INRAE hosts dozens of joint research units including Eco&Sols and operates at a much broader scale across animal, plant, food, and environmental science.
• CSIRO: Australia's national science agency, with a sizable agriculture and food research portfolio including soil carbon, crop science, and sustainability. Comparable as a large public research organization with deep capabilities in soil and agroecosystem science.
• IRD: French research institute for sustainable development, and a parent of Eco&Sols. IRD provides Eco&Sols with its international research network across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and shares a similar public, mission-driven research model.
• Agroscope: Swiss federal research institute for agriculture, food, and the environment. Comparable in being a public applied research organization working on soil quality, agroecology, and sustainable cropping systems, and in bridging fundamental and on-farm research.
• Wageningen University & Research: Dutch research university and institute specializing in life sciences, agroecology, and soil science. Comparable in combining fundamental soil ecology research with applied agricultural and environmental applications, and noted as a partner in Eco&Sols' Senegal work.

Direct peers

• Rothamsted Research: The UK's oldest agricultural research station, with a long-standing focus on soil science, agroecology, and biogeochemistry of cropping systems. It is highly comparable to UMR Eco&Sols in mission (public, soil-focused agricultural research) and in combining long-term field experiments with biogeochemical process research.
• ICRAF (World Agroforestry): International center for agroforestry research, with which Eco&Sols collaborates on cocoa agroforestry in Central Africa. Highly comparable in mission (public, mission-driven research on soil-plant systems in tropical agroforestry) and in operating multi-country field networks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/umr-ecosols.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@comm-ecosols
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecosols
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umr-eco-sols

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 UMR Eco&Sols