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The 4^th and 5^th December was held the ECOTOX seminar in Valence. It was organized in partnership with the Rovaltain Fundation and gathered around fifty scientists of the INRA but also the Irstea and other research institutions. Some members of the Rovaltain’s scientific council were also part of the seminar.

During those two days, a round-table discussion was held to discuss about the great diversity of the ecotoxicology animation structures in France. It was the opportunity to make an assessment about the different network and groups which form today the french landscape in ecotoxicology. Therefore were presented :

• EcotoQ, the Quebecers ecotoxicologists group (ecotoq@inrs.ca),
• The Antiopes network ((Analyse intégrée pour la toxicologie prédictive en santé environnementale) which recently broadened its topics to ecotoxicology and work in a « Contamination – Ecosystems – Health » pattern,
• The Rovaltain fundation which aims to be a platform of discussion and meetings whose goal is to support responsible innovation and put science at the center of the debate. In 2017, the Rovaltain fundation started helping the search for financing in addition with the sponsoring which already exists,
• The Phytopharmaco-vigilance network managed bu ANSES,
• Ecotoxicomic, the thematic multidisciplinary microbial ecotoxicology network,
• The GDR of aquatic ecotoxicology,
• The RECOTOX sites network,
• The ECOTOX animation network.

After those presentations, a discussion started in order to federate and organize the diversity of those network and groups. Differents importants points were pu forward :

• General :
  • A lack of animation most of the time and a lack of financial and human ressources) to launch projects,
  • Some difficulties for some to find their way in this landscape and stand out,
  • A wish of complementarity with what already exists.
• ECOTOX :
  • This network gathers different research institutions besides the INRA, and has today a national and inter-institutions scope,
  • A wish to open to Human and social sciences,
  • The importance of animation to boost the launch of research projects,
• RECOTOX :
  • RECOTOX has to become an inter-institutions animation network in order to tackle research issues and bring to research infrastructures an added value in ecotoxicology,
  • Preparation of a scientific meeting in spring.

Two important questions were raised :

• How can we set up a national animation while keeping each network specialities ?
• Do we have to create a supra-community OR create a place for discussion and meeting ?

The last speaker of the seminar was Thierry Caquet, Scientific Director for the Environment at the INRA. According to him and many members of the seminar, the goal in 2018 is to move towards a shared inter-institution animation, especially by trying to link AllEnvi and AvieSan. Therefore RECOTOX can be a cross national animation project.