Increasing the influence of IFSTTAR’s targeted research

It is vital for the Institute to gather round it the European research players with an involvement in its areas of expertise, to help to finalize the European research space and to be recognized as a major player in research at an international level. IFSTTAR’s “European and International Strategy” will lay down the priority approaches and cooperation activities and the policy for helping its units and researchers to achieve this.

In addition, IFSTTAR is present in the regions and is building increasingly important local partnerships. It plays a full role in organizing research in the regions, under the impetus of national and European strategies (PRES, competitiveness clusters, future investments, etc.).

The influence exerted by the Institute also depends on its experimental capabilities, either as a result of its own equipment or through partnerships: exceptional innovative testing facilities, trial sites (large ones in particular), data bases and data books. Designing, acquiring, developing and maintaining these will be a major priority.

IFSTTAR also wishes to develop its expert appraisal activities by making them more professional, by strengthening cross-fertilization between research and expertise andby enhancing the profiles of its subsidiary LCPC Experts and of the CERTIFER agency.

The Institute will also give priority to disseminating its software products and data bases that are the most useful to its partners from the academic, social and economic spheres.