François Houllier reappointed as head of Ifremer by the Council of Ministers on 17 February 2021
On the recommendation of Ifremer's Board of Directors, which met on 10 December 2020, François Houllier has just been officially appointed by decree as President and CEO of Ifremer for the next 5 years.
More committed than ever to the life of Ifremer and the development of marine science and technology, François Houllier, CEO of the institute since September 2018, has naturally put himself forward as a candidate to succeed him. At its meeting on 10 December 2020, the Board of Directors proposed his candidacy to the government.
François Houllier, President and CEO of Ifremer: "On the eve of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), I want Ifremer, as a benchmark institute in ocean sciences, to be the guarantor of a beautiful, useful and shared science. "Beautiful' to extend the adventure of ocean exploration and to understand, in all their complexity, the ecology and uses of marine, coastal and littoral ecosystems. "Useful" to respond to the curiosity and commitment of the general public, to satisfy the need for scientific and technical expertise in support of public policy, to give substance to the potential for innovation and the promise of solutions in the blue economy, and to ensure that marine research is fully integrated into sustainable development. And finally, "shared" because ethics, dialogue and participatory science are the cornerstones of awareness of ocean issues and action by all stakeholders in society".
Its application is part of the 2030 Institute Project and the Contract of Objectives and Performance (COP 2019-2023) signed with the French government on 8 June 2020. It sets out 4 guidelines for its action:
Openness to society in all its dimensions;
A strong scientific ambition: to predict the evolution of the ocean in a context of global change and to inform public policy on the uses and conservation of this great common good;
Developing a culture of innovation and revitalising partnerships with business;
Confirming Ifremer's ability to act as a catalyst for national, European and global initiatives in marine science and technology.
The start of this mandate coincides with the launch of the Horizon Europe programme and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development, both of which François Houllier wants Ifremer to be fully involved in.
It also coincides with the start of the implementation of the research programming law, which will make scientific careers more attractive and provide additional resources for marine research.
This project builds on the achievements of the last two years. In particular, it aims to implement the three major investment plans validated on 8 October 2020 by the Board of Directors: a large-scale property renovation plan; programming for the modernisation and renewal of the French oceanographic fleet; and an exceptional investment plan that has been completed by the recent successes in the Equipex+ call for projects under the Programme d'investissements d'avenir (PIA). The co-piloting, with the CNRS, of the priority ocean research programme, announced at the end of 2019 by the President of the Republic, is also a central element of its project.