Irstea, the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture, is a Public Scientific and Technical Research Establishment (EPST) falling within the purview of the ministries of research and agriculture. Its multidisciplinary, action-oriented approach to research and expertise in support of public policy involves strong partnerships with French and European universities and research organizations, economic entities and public authorities. The Institute is a founding member of AllEnvi, the National Alliance for Environmental Research, and the European PEER (Partnership for European Environmental Research) network. Irstea has the "Carnot Institute" label since 2006.
