Launch of the AgriWalue international associated laboratory
January 30 2026AgroParisTech has taken a new step forward in its international research strategy with the launch of AgriWalue (Valorisation of Agricultural and Agro-industrial By-Products and Wastes Towards Circular Bioeconomy), the first international associated laboratory (LIA) initiated and led by the school in France. Officially launched on January 23 for a period of five years during a virtual ceremony bringing together representatives from all partners, this laboratory brings together French and Brazilian teams to focus on the valorization of agricultural and agri-food co-products and waste with a view to a circular bioeconomy.
Major scientific challenges for the circular bioeconomy
The optimal use of by-products and waste from the agri-food sector is crucial to improving the competitiveness and sustainability of agricultural industries in both France and Brazil. AgriWalue will focus on three interconnected areas of research: processing methods, the products generated, and their integration into a circular economy, including end-of-life management and environmental footprint. The creation of the LIA is based on the promising results of the ANR-PCRI By ProdAct project (2023-2026), which aims to extract active compounds and produce nanocellulose from fruit and vegetable co-products, and which draws on the complementary expertise of the French and Brazilian teams that founded the LIA.
An instrument for scientific cooperation
The AgriWalue international associated laboratory will facilitate:
- Training: mobility of teacher-researchers, students, doctoral students, and post-doctoral students; establishment of joint supervision and co-direction of theses; distance learning
- Research: development of a joint scientific project aimed at establishing new recommendations and technologies for sustainable development
- Transfer: dissemination of results and organization of high-level research seminars
“The launch of the AgriWalue international associated laboratory marks a new milestone. It confirms our shared commitment to interdisciplinary research, the promotion of agro-industrial resources, and the training of students and researchers in a truly international environment.” Dr. Giana Almeida Perré
A strong strategic dimension
The creation of this LIA reflects AgroParisTech’s international ambitions in terms of research, with Brazil being a priority country in its strategy. It is consistent with the institution’s commitment to the bioeconomy, as illustrated in particular by its participation as a founding member of the EBU alliance and its coordination of the Erasmus Mundus Bioceb master’s program. AgriWalue is also part of the International Center for Research on Global Health launched at the end of 2025 between INRAE and the University of São Paulo, of which Giana Almeida Perré co-directs one of the five pillars, as well as the international partnership strategy of Paris-Saclay University.
A partnership of excellence between France and Brazil
The AgriWalue International Associated Laboratory brings together leading institutions from both countries. On the French side, AgroParisTech is leading this project alongside INRAE, Paris-Saclay University, and CentraleSupélec through two research units: SayFood and the LGPM laboratory. In Brazil, several faculties of the University of São Paulo are also involved: Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), Polytechnic School (EP), Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture (ESALQ) and São Carlos Institute of Chemistry (IQSC). Co-directed by Dr. Giana Almeida Perré (AgroParisTech and SayFood) and Dr. Milena Martelli Tosi (University of São Paulo), this laboratory consolidates an already rich strategic partnership between the two institutions, which includes two dual engineering degrees, several collaborative research projects, and sustained student mobility in both directions.