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Chemistry - Materials
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Complex systems and software engineering
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Energy, Ecology, Environment
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Quality of life - Health - Food
Jean-Pierre Bourgin Institute - Plant Sciences (IJPB)
Research unit
The Institute Jean-Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences (IJPB), is one of the largest plant science research centres in Europe and is renowned for its unique combination of experimental resources and multidisciplinary expertise in biology, chemistry and applied mathematics.
Research activities are structured within three axes, ensuring a continuum from knowledge generation to innovation in plant biology:
> Axis 1: Advancing our knowledge of basic plant functions and interactions
> Axis 2: Designing Smart Crops for sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change
> Axis 3: Towards novel plant-based products for food and non-food uses
Our new unit strategy (2026–2030) also includes three flagship projects, positioned at the interface between several teams and building on existing resources (projects and infrastructures):
> Flagship Project 1: Development of new breeding technologies in plants: from lab to field.
> Flagship Project 2: Understanding plant biological processes at micro- and nano-spatial levels and making the link to macro-phenomena.
> Flagship Project 3: Multi-scale integration of natural or induced trait plasticity within regulatory networks.
We also promote knowledge transfer through teaching, training, outreach and partnerships.
Research activities are structured within three axes, ensuring a continuum from knowledge generation to innovation in plant biology:
> Axis 1: Advancing our knowledge of basic plant functions and interactions
> Axis 2: Designing Smart Crops for sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change
> Axis 3: Towards novel plant-based products for food and non-food uses
Our new unit strategy (2026–2030) also includes three flagship projects, positioned at the interface between several teams and building on existing resources (projects and infrastructures):
> Flagship Project 1: Development of new breeding technologies in plants: from lab to field.
> Flagship Project 2: Understanding plant biological processes at micro- and nano-spatial levels and making the link to macro-phenomena.
> Flagship Project 3: Multi-scale integration of natural or induced trait plasticity within regulatory networks.
We also promote knowledge transfer through teaching, training, outreach and partnerships.
Innovation themes
- Energy, Ecology, Environment
- Complex systems and software engineering
- Modelling and simulation
- Quality of life - Health - Food
- Chemistry - Materials
- Climate (observation - monitoring), environmental management, eco system
- Green chemistry
- New energy sources and production system
- Animal health and nutrition
- New food production model (culture, process...)
- Food safety and quality
Route de Saint-Cyr
78026 VERSAILLES
Expertises
Genome Biology
Development
Signalling
Modelling
Physiology
Interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment
Biomass
Seeds
Bioproducts
Development
Signalling
Modelling
Physiology
Interactions with the biotic and abiotic environment
Biomass
Seeds
Bioproducts
Applications sectors
- Biotechnology
- Energy
- Agri-food industry
- Art / Culture
- Agriculture
- Chemistry / Plastics (Glue, Plastic, Rubber...)
Total number of employees
Total number of employees : 300
Number of researchers : 90
Number of doctoral students : 41
Number of researchers : 90
Number of doctoral students : 41
Equipment(s) open to collaboration
Academic and industrial :
- plant cultivation under controlled conditions and in greenhouses, quarantine and bio-security facilities S2 and S3
- automated phenotyping 4 macroscopic phenotyping robots using visible, IR and fluorescence imaging
- propagation, storage and distribution of genetic material (50,000 insertion mutants, several thousand recombinant lines)
- functional and structural study of proteins, proteomic analysis (heterologous expression, purification, 1 and 2D electrophoresis, crystallisation)
- plant imaging: visible and confocal microscopy, in situ hybridisation, laser dissection, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, sub-cellular and dynamic localisation (spinning-disk microscopy), immunolocalisation and FISH
- analytical chemistry of plant-derived compounds: analysis of primary metabolites (metabolomic profile) and secondary metabolites (flavonoids including anthocyanins, glucosinolates, carotenoids) by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, assay and characterisation of lipids and hormones by LC-MS/MS, characterisation and assay of parietal polysaccharides by NIRS, FT-IR, GC-MS and Maldi-TOF (enzymatic fingerprinting)
- plant cultivation under controlled conditions and in greenhouses, quarantine and bio-security facilities S2 and S3
- automated phenotyping 4 macroscopic phenotyping robots using visible, IR and fluorescence imaging
- propagation, storage and distribution of genetic material (50,000 insertion mutants, several thousand recombinant lines)
- functional and structural study of proteins, proteomic analysis (heterologous expression, purification, 1 and 2D electrophoresis, crystallisation)
- plant imaging: visible and confocal microscopy, in situ hybridisation, laser dissection, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, sub-cellular and dynamic localisation (spinning-disk microscopy), immunolocalisation and FISH
- analytical chemistry of plant-derived compounds: analysis of primary metabolites (metabolomic profile) and secondary metabolites (flavonoids including anthocyanins, glucosinolates, carotenoids) by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, assay and characterisation of lipids and hormones by LC-MS/MS, characterisation and assay of parietal polysaccharides by NIRS, FT-IR, GC-MS and Maldi-TOF (enzymatic fingerprinting)
Keywords
- Genome dynamics
- Epigenome dynamics
- Cellular physiology
- Molecular physiology
- Development
- Reproduction
- Primary metabolism
- Specialised metabolism
- Environmental perception
- Signalling
- Modelling
- Multiscale modelling
- Plant-microorganism interactions
- Plant-insect interactions
- Natural variability
- Water use efficiency
- Nitrogen use efficiency
- Carbon use efficiency
- Abiotic adaptation
- Biotic adaptation
- Genetic editing
- Biotech and trait improvement
- Biostimulation in agroecology
- Biocontrol in agroecology
- Biomass production
- Biomass processing
- Seed production
- Seed quality
- Green chemistry
- Bioproduct bioreactors
- Bioproduct development
- Bioproduct engineering
- Biostimulation solutions
- Biocontrol solutions
Projects examples
- 3Bcar Carnot Institute
- Plant2Pro Carnot Institute
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir BFF
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir PEAMUST
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir GENIUS
- Plant2Pro Carnot Institute
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir BFF
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir PEAMUST
- ANR Investissement d'Avenir GENIUS
Industrial and scientific relations
Private collaborations
- collaboration with several major groups
Establishments of affiliation
Département(s) de recherche
- SDV (Life sciences)