Get a Taste of Research

Promoting quality research is a priority for the University of La Réunion, as research is an essential driving force for the island’s economic, social and cultural development.

Research stakeholders in The University of La Réunion

17 laboratories including 4 UMR’s (joint University-CNRS Research Units) are the backbone of research at the University of La Réunion. In addition to usual collaboration with French research bodies, strong links have been established with European and foreign research centres, particularly in the Indian Ocean area, in various fields such as economy, literature or Earth sciences.

Some 30 PhD’s are completed each year at the University of La Réunion. The University has an Interdisciplinary Doctoral School (EDI) to help doctoral students carry on their research and facilitate their integration into the professional world.

The Doctoral Research Board (BRED) is the special instrument of the Research Council (CS); its mission is to implement a dynamic policy in favour of research through monitoring, coordination and administrative management of research and research training for the whole University. In addition, a Research Promotion Unit has been set up to support the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Research Promotion, with the aim of fostering innovative company creation, helping with patent registration formalities, etc.

Research is organized around 7 competence poles

For better clarity, research activities have been structured along 7 competence poles.

• 1. Biodiversity, biotechnologies and agri-food promotion, also involving plant protection.

• 2. Study of marine and coastal areas.

• 3. Information processing, modelling and reasoning (linked to a powerful calculation centre since 2003).

• 4. Observation of natural environments dynamics. This pole, called “Geosphere,” is involved in the creation of an Atmospheric Physics Research Institute.

• 5. “Indian Ocean: Culture, Geography, Peoples and Languages.” Research themes include inter-cultural and multi-language issues.

• 6. Regional economic and legal development and management.

• 7. “Risk Factors, Public Health, Bio-Computing” is a new pole notably involved in the installation of a cyclotron in Réunion Island and the setting up of a “Faculty of Health Science.”