Missions
TERRA Teaching and Research Centre is a unique interdisciplinary research centre in Belgium that studies and develops biological engineering in the fields of agri-food, agriculture, biotechnology, environment and forestry.
O
ne of the main objectives of TERRA is to develop transversality and exchanges between researchers from different disciplines. Interfaculty and international scientific collaboration is therefore essential. TERRA is also a structure that strongly interacts with the corporate world. To support its researchers, TERRA is developing a specific strategy for finding funding and setting up international projects.
To support its researchers, TERRA is developing a specific strategy in terms of financing research and setting up international projects. To carry out research, TERRA has exceptional infrastructure and equipment.
TERRA currently gathers around 75 teacher-researchers and more than a hundred PhDs and post-docs. Following a first call, the main themes that TERRA researchers propose to develop in the next 5 years are articulated around 28 interdisciplinary projects (including 20 interfaculty projects with the Faculties of Science, Applied Sciences, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and HEC ) gathered in 9 main themes:
- Monitoring, impact and adaptation of climate change,
- New approaches to crop protection,
- Innovative methods in agricultural production,
- Multiscale Soil Systems,
- Development of urban agro-and ecosystems,
- Dynamics and changes in forest socio-ecosystems of Central Africa,
- Feeding the future,
- Innovative processes in biotechnology,
- Genetic improvement of agro-biological resources
Four CARE (Research and Teaching Support Units) are associated with TERRA :
Through the Environment is life platform, TERRA is involved in two research network platforms on a European scale, ICOS and ANAEE.
TERRA has also recently developed an international laboratory with the Charles Viollette Institute of Lille1 University dedicated to the screening, characterization and production of secondary metabolites.
