MAK’IT Montpellier

The Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions (MAK’IT) was launched in March 2019 as one of the flagship projects of the ‘Montpellier University of Excellence’ (MUSE) initiative, a consortium of 16 academic and scientific institutions and 5 private partners grouped together under the French Government I-SITE (Initiative Science, Innovation, Territories, Economy) Excellence Programme. Using innovative inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches, the Institute intends to boost the contribution of scientific communities to the acceleration of transitions necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the interconnected areas of agriculture and food, environment and health.

In Montpellier, the fellows are hosted in a research structure of the MUSE consortium of their choice, where they benefit from an equipped desk and all research facilities. The fellows also have access to several meeting rooms and a 250-seat amphitheatre in MAK’IT’s premises, located at the Institut de botanique with direct access to the city’s botanical garden, founded in 1593.

The institutional anchoring in a research structure strengthens the integration of the fellows in the local scientific environment and encourages them to create new connections and develop concrete collaborations within it. At the same time, regular exchanges are organized among the fellows who are pushed to foster innovative interdisciplinary approaches, breaking with academic routines.

MAK’IT hosts its fellows at the Villa Leenhardt, built in the 1900s. Situated in a park on the Triolet Campus, close to the city center of Montpellier and the Institute’s premises, the Villa consists of 8 newly renovated and fully equipped one- and two-room appartments as well as common areas. MAK’IT also works with a seasonal apartment rental agency in Montpellier to house families.

The specificities of MAK’IT scientific policy relies on the following items:

• 3 main action areas: Agriculture & Food, Environment and Health
• A reinforced dialogue between life sciences and SSH
• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as main activity framework
• An original approach via the treatment of societal controversies
• A geographical focus on the ‘Global South’ (‘Leaving no scientific community behind’)
• An anchorage within a dense network of both local and international academic and institutional partners

Application to MAK'IT

Any applicant to MAK'IT through the FIAS programme must provide an invitation letter from a recognized research unit affiliated with the University of Montpellier and/or its partners, signed by its Director. This letter can be co-signed by several units. It will confirm the willingness of the research unit.s to host the candidate for the whole fellowship period and provide details regarding the expected scientific cooperation. Any application without a valid invitation letter will not be considered further.