INRA Divisions
Microbiology and the Food Chain

MICA division carries out fundamental and applied microbiological research that aims to understand the functioning of micro-organisms and microbial ecosystems so that they can be better exploited, mastered or controlled.

The Division contains most of the microbiologists working for INRA who are based in 22 research units spread throughout the country, 14 of them being associated with other institutions (engineering schools, universities, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Pasteur, etc.).

The Division employs 335 full-tenure INRA staff, 191 of whom are scientists (researchers and engineers) and 144 are technicians. Its research teams also include some 100 external staff (teacher-researchers, research scientists and engineers from other institutions) and 200 young scientists (doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows), making a total of around 635 people.