As research becomes increasingly international, IRD aims to draw on its scientific excellence and unique international scientific cooperation model to firmly establish science as a driving force in the new development agenda. Two of the key objectives in the 2016 – 2020 strategic plan are promoting IRD’s image and consolidating the identify of ‘planet IRD’.
Sixty press releases and press kits were issued in 2015, primarily to promote the findings of IRD research in the fields of climate change and the Institute’s participation in French and international events leading up to COP21 (Climate Smart Agriculture, MEDCOP21, UNESCO conference, COP21). They led to almost 2,660 mentions in the press, including 28 articles in Le Monde, 26 AFP reports, 23 interviews or programmes on France Inter, 50 on RFI, 11 articles in Libération and 15 in Le Figaro (paper versions only).
Scientific news sheets present the most recent IRD research results two or three times per month. To date, more than 500 sheets have been published online on the IRD institutional website. Intended for French and foreign media, the governing ministries, IRD partners, decision-makers and the public, they provide an up-to-date summary of current research information. In 2015, 19 scientific news sheets resulted in more than 150 articles in the press.
The Sciences au Sud newspaper, with 75,000 copies circulated in more than 100 countries, continues to open up its columns to partner institutes. In 2015, this included interviews with Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, Laurence Tubiana, ambassador in charge of climate negotiations and Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos, political scientist specialised in Nigeria.
IRD’s websites benefit from very high visibility in the South. In 2015, audience growth was high for all our representations’ websites. Meanwhile, the www.ird.fr website received close to one million visits. IRD is also building up its presence on social media, with 446 publications on Facebook (up 59%) and 1,227 publications on Twitter (up 86%).
Nearly 2,450 new photos covering a number of the Institute’s research disciplines were added to the Indigo image bank which now contains almost 60,500 documents, accessible over the internet.
Twenty films were produced, co-produced or are currently in production. The film entitled ‘payer sa vie’ on the subject of prostitution in Latin America was premiered in Paris and Marseille. A series on deserts going under the name ‘Planète sable’ was filmed in several African countries for TV channel Arté, while the documentary series on the Lengguru expedition in West Papua is now being validated. A film on the origins of AIDS, ‘Sida, la piste africaine’, was also shot for TV channel France 5 with IRD researchers and their partners from Cameroon and Senegal.
Fifteen films produced or co-produced by IRD were screened at Le Bourget during COP21 – 25% of all the films shown there. Around sixty films were screened around the theme of COP21 in 18 countries via French institutions, French embassies and IRD’s representations.
IRD took part in thirty or so festivals in France and abroad, including the international scientific film festival ‘Parisciences’.
Fifty-five colloquiums received support, including Climate Smart Agriculture 20151 and EBODAKAR 20152, which brought together researchers in social sciences and stakeholders in the response to Ebola in West Africa.