The 3rd edition of the France-Cambodia Research Days was held on November 18 and 19, 2024 at the Institut Français du Cambodge (French Institute, IFC).
The Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, H.E. Dr. OM Romny, and the First Counsellor of the French Embassy, Mr. Fabrice Etienne, presided over the opening of the event. The Research Days were organized by the French Embassy in collaboration with French universities and research institutions in Cambodia, as well as with Cambodian institutions, to promote the development of research and scientific careers in the Kingdom.
The Research Days are an opportunity to attract Cambodian students and teachers to the world of research, for the benefit of the country's development. They encourage meetings and networking between stakeholders from different backgrounds (students, researchers, institutions, companies). They also raise public awareness of the research carried out by French actors in Cambodia with their Cambodian and international partners. For example, 8 projects have been initiated since 2021 as part of the Partenariat Hubert Curien program, which aims to develop exchanges of scientific and technological excellence between research laboratories in the two countries.
These meetings also provide a forum for dialogue and exchange on research issues and challenges, and their contribution to Cambodia's development. Research themes have very concrete consequences for the country. In response to societal challenges, they aim, for example, to study the relationships between the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment (“One Health” approach), the health of ecosystems and agroecology.
France is committed to the development of research in Cambodia, in particular by supporting its policy of setting up doctoral schools in its universities. High-quality cooperation programs are in place with institutions such as the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), the Cambodian Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and the Royale University of Law and Economics (RULE). Several researchers from internationally recognized French institutions are currently conducting collaborative research projects with their Cambodian partners. For 2024-2025, a total of 55 scholarship holders will study in France at master's and doctoral level, in addition to 20 “Excellence Eiffel” scholarships and 3 ANRS-MIE scholarship winners in the health field.
The event also marked the 40th anniversary of the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD, International Cooperation Center in Agronomy Research for Development) and the 80th anniversary of the Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD, Institute of Research for Development), two French institutions that have been very active in Cambodia for many years. Through a debate and a photographic exhibition at the Institut français du Cambodge, CIRAD wanted to raise public awareness of its work and that of its partners, with a particular focus on the theme “Agroecology and One Health to preserve and feed tomorrow's world”.
For its part, IRD invited debate, reflection and the spotlighting of research around the major challenges of international scientific cooperation for sustainable development. From collaborative research to projects promoting dialogue between science and society, all these initiatives illustrate the wealth of international partnerships that the IRD has forged and strengthened over the years.
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