IPORA

 Interdisciplinary policy-oriented research in Africa

>> French version

IPORA is a trans-disciplinary international research project, created to study the major challenges facing the African continent and to find concrete solutions.

This project was set up in 2022 by teams of researchers from the Universities of Bordeaux, Addis Ababa, Abidjan and Rabat, working in the fields of economics, sociology, political science, public health, anthropology, agri-food science, law and environmental science.

In Bordeaux, this project is supported by the Global Health in the Global South (GHiGS) team at the Bordeaux Population Health (BPH) research center, the Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE)laboratory, the Les Afriques dans le Monde (LAM) laboratory and the Centre de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité sociale (COMPTRASEC), which are attached to the Public Health, Evolution, Behaviors and Organizations (ECOr) and Social Sciences of Contemporary Change (CHANGES) research departments of the University of Bordeaux and the Bordeaux Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po Bordeaux).

IPORA (Interdisciplinary Policy-Oriented Research on Africa) is one of seven « Major Research Programs » selected by the University of Bordeaux following an international evaluation. The eight-year program is funded by the French government as an « Initiative d’excellence » under the France 2030 plan.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of IPORA is to build a research network capable of analyzing the multidimensional transformations underway in Africa, identifying the questions posed by these transformations whose study could help define public policies, and co-constructing interdisciplinary studies to answer these questions. 

The African continent is undergoing multiple multidimensional changes, including rapid population growth, profound transformations in lifestyles and consumption patterns, massive climatic, economic, technological and environmental changes, considerable internal and external migration, unprecedented rates of urbanization and an epidemiological transition marked by a combination of high-prevalence communicable and non-communicable diseases.

These upheavals have implications for public policies aimed at raising living standards, improving health, fostering environmentally-friendly development and consolidating governance. The scale and speed of these changes, and the challenges they pose, justify researchers from different disciplines working together to better understand the processes at work, and to be more useful to decision-makers.

IPORA is a young network, keen to develop while taking the time to lay solid foundations that will enable it to operate over the long term and to deepen each of its chosen areas of research.

A solid foundation means :

  • good international partnership practices (shared governance, transparency, equity),
  • good research practices (compliance with ethical, regulatory and methodological standards),
  • a thoughtful approach to interdisciplinarity.

FUNDING

The IPORA Interdisciplinary Policy-Oriented Research on Africa consortium has been awarded a Programme d’investissements d’avenir (PIA) IdEx grant of 3.8 million euros from the Université de Bordeaux over a 4-year period, renewable after evaluation.

ORGANIZATION

IPORA is structured around 3 axes and 8 Work Packages:

  • Axis 1 (Work Packages 1 to 4) develops the network
  • Axis 2 (Work Packages 5,6,7) develops interdisciplinary research projects,
  • Axis 3 (Work Package 8) deals with training through research.

Each Work Package is coordinated by two or three scientists from different countries. Work Package coordinators are appointed by the General Meeting, with due regard to balance between discipline, gender and geographical origin.

*

  • The General Assembly is the strategic and budgetary decision-making body. It is made up of one representative from each research team involved in the IPORA project and from each of the network’s founding academic institutions.  It is chaired by two co-presidents, elected for two yearsThe two current co-Chairmen are: Prof. Abdelaziz Benjouad (Vice President in charge of Research at the International University of Rabat, Morocco) and Prof. Serge Eholie (Full Professor of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Unité de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences Médicales of the Université Félix Houphouët Boigny d’Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire).
  • The Executive Committee is the international executive coordination body for IPORA actions.  It is made up of all Work Package Coordinators and Country Coordinators. It is co-chaired by the Work Package 1 coordinators.The current members of the Executive Committee are: Yousra Abourabi, Oussama Alami-Marrouni, Xavier Anglaret (co-Chairman), Eric Balestre, Kaleab Baye, Helen Berga, Tanguy Bernard, Khadija Chabraoui, Zainab Cherrat, Madina Doumbia, Joanna Orne-Gliemann, Anagaw Derseh, Baudouin Dupret, Jean-Noël Ferrié, Abdurezack Hussein Asnake Kefale, Gerard Kouamé Olivier Marcy, Alemu Mekonnen (co-Chairman), Raoul Moh, Zineb Omary, Jerome Porta, Giuliano Martiniello, Eric Rougier, Aristophane Tanon, Ida Viho, Najwa Wahbi, Véronique Yoboué, Nefisa Zekaria, Thierry Zoue
  • The National Coordination Committees are the executive coordination bodies for IPORA actions in each country where the number of partner teams and research projects carried out by IPORA justifies scientific and technical coordination. They are made up of all IPORA members present in the country. They are chaired by Country Coordinators.The current Country Coordinators are Zineb Omary for Morocco, Atnafu Gebresmekel for Ethiopia, Serge Eholié for Côte d’Ivoire and Xavier Anglaret for France.At the University of Bordeaux, GPR IPORA is supported by Lucie Bonnafous-Besse, Sandrine Lacaze, Clara Merlet, Adrien Pourtier and Valérie Oudot.

CONSORTIUM MEMBERS

IPORA members, 3rd general assembly, March 7th 2024, Rabat, Morocco

Departments and research teams at the University of Bordeaux >> France

-Public Health Research Department

-Evolution, Behavior and Organizations (ECOr) research department

  • Bordeaux School of Economcis Laboratory

-Social Sciences of Contemporary Change (CHANGES) research department

  • COMPTRASEC Laboratory

Other founding academic institutions >>

-In France :

  • Sciences Po Bordeaux: LAM Laboratory
  • Other national research organizations: IRD, Inserm CNRS, Université Bordeaux Montaigne

-In Africa :

  • Université Félix Houphouët Boigny (UFHB), Abidjan, Ivory Coast

        LASMES Laboratory for Matter, Environment and Solar Energy Sciences

        SMIT Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases – Treichville University Hospital

        PACCI Programme ANRS Coopération Côte d’Ivoire / PRISME (?)

  • Addis Ababa University (AAU), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

         CoBE College of Bussiness Economics

         CSS College of Social Science

         CHS College of Health Science

         CNCS College of Natural and Computational Science

  • Rabat International University (UIR), Rabat, Morocco

         CGS Center for Global Studies

         Sciences Po Rabat

 

Other partners >>

In addition to the founding teams, the network is open to all players in civil society, public policy-makers and researchers from all countries and disciplines who wish to create alliances to carry out research that is useful to people and advances the concept of interdisciplinarity.

In 2023-2024, a further 16 teams have been associated with IPORA activities as members (active in IPORA WP work) or partners (collaborating as co-investigators in an IPORA research project).

 

MORE INFO
Grands Programmes de Recherche