INSTITUTION DE LA RECHERCHE ET DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR AGRICOLES

Their core work

IRESA is Tunisia's national governing institution for agricultural research and higher education, coordinating the country's agricultural science policy and capacity building. Within H2020, they focus on sustainable water management in agriculture and forest-based bioeconomy, bringing North African field expertise and climate adaptation knowledge to European research consortia. Their work bridges the gap between Mediterranean dryland farming challenges and European research frameworks, particularly around water reuse, land management, and forestry planning.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IRESA's early H2020 involvement (2016-2017) centered on resource efficiency and forestry — relatively broad environmental topics linked to ERA-NET coordination actions. By 2018, their focus sharpened toward applied climate adaptation, water reuse, socio-economic dimensions of land management, and explicit research capacity building through the FASTER project. The shift suggests a move from contributing to pan-European environmental programs toward building Tunisia-specific agricultural resilience expertise.

IRESA is moving toward applied climate-resilient agriculture with a capacity-building dimension, making them increasingly relevant for Mediterranean and African food security consortia.

How they like to work

IRESA joins projects exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for Associated Country institutions building their European research network. With 70 unique consortium partners across 33 countries from just 4 projects, they participate in large, multi-country ERA-NET actions rather than small targeted collaborations. This makes them an accessible partner who is accustomed to working within large, diverse consortia.

Despite only 4 projects, IRESA has built a remarkably wide network of 70 partners across 33 countries, largely through participation in ERA-NET Cofund actions that aggregate many national funding agencies and research bodies. Their network spans well beyond the Mediterranean into Northern and Eastern Europe.

What sets them apart

IRESA is one of the few Tunisian public institutions active in H2020 water and agriculture programs, offering direct access to North African agricultural research infrastructure and field conditions. For any consortium needing a Southern Mediterranean partner with real-world dryland farming, water scarcity, and climate adaptation data, IRESA provides something European partners simply cannot: on-the-ground expertise in semi-arid agriculture under climate stress. Their dual focus on water and forestry also positions them well for cross-cutting land use and bioeconomy projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WaterWorks2017
  Their largest funded project (EUR 71,362), expanding from basic resource efficiency into water reuse and socio-economic approaches — showing deepening specialization.
• FASTER
  A Widening Participation action specifically designed to build Tunisian agricultural research capacity, signaling institutional commitment to strengthening EU research integration.