44 projects
4 245 812 € funding
82 scientists
30 years of knowledge
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OUR Vision
Scientific research for the sustainable use of natural resources in the tropical Andes
The International Laboratory BIO_INCA develops knowledge, technologies, and methods in support of science-based solutions for socio-economically and ecologically sound uses of natural resources in the tropical Andes.
Our objectives
The main objective of the BIO_INCA lab is to promote the emergence of an operational and interdisciplinary research platform between Colombia and Ecuador that will provide nature-based solutions for cultivated and natural plant systems of the Andean region (highlands and foothills).
The research engendered by this structure aims to link basic and applied sciences, with the objective to propose concrete solutions to the adaptive management of natural and cultivated plant ecosystems.
Our ultimate goal is to foster the sustainable use of natural resources, the preservation of biodiversity and food security and sovereignty in the region.
Our scientific agenda
Biodiversity characterization
The characterization of cultivated and wild biodiversity and the genetic exchange between both systems
Biological interactions
The study of biological interactions among plants, microorganisms, arthropods, and humans etc.
Ecosystem services & nature-based solutions
The study of ecosystem services and search for nature-based solutions
Tools & formation
The development of innovative eco- and bioinformatics tools and training programs.
See our projects here
Our TEAM
Our team has roots in the history of scientific cooperation between IRD and both Colombia (Universidad de los Andes) and Ecuador (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador) in the fields of biology, ecology and agriculture, which started in the late 1990s and matured during the 2000s. Our core group is made up of about 50 scientists from Colombia, Ecuador and France with solid experience and diverse expertise (from genomes to socio-ecosystems) in the study of natural and cultivated plant systems in the tropical Andes.
South-South collaboration
The most important goal of the consortium is the setup of a pioneering partnership in research and development on biodiversity and agriculture. BIO_INCA will support Colombian and Ecuadorian partners to strengthen their labs and develop their interactions in support of South – South scientific collaborations in South America. The scientific knowledge developed by BIO_INCA aims to support policymakers involved in natural and crop system management in the Andean region.
See all collaborations here
Our coordinators
Silvia Restrepo, PhD
Vice-rector of Research
Universidad de los Andes, Bogota
Rommel Montúfar, PhD
Professor (Associate)
Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito
Olivier DANGLES, PhD
Director of research
The French Institute for Sustainable Development, MontpellierOUR AFFILIATED LABs
OUR donors
