emlyon & Terres Inovia Research Chair "Transitions and Transformations in Agricultural Markets"
Protein Sovereignty: France’s Quest for Strategic Independence
This research chair is part of a national strategic initiative (“Formidable Protéine 2”) led by Terres Inovia, winner of the France 2030 Skills and Future Professions call for projects. The program aims to strengthen France’s sovereignty in plant-based proteins by supporting the profound transformation of agricultural and agri-food professions. Formidable Protéine 2 brings together a broad consortium of partners from education, training, and agricultural sectors, among which emlyon business school stands out as the only management school, offering a unique and complementary perspective.
Presentation of the Chair
emlyon business school is responsible for a key component of the program: ensuring the economic viability and long-term sustainability of the training initiatives developed, beyond the five years covered by public funding. The creation of the chair addresses the need for expertise in strategy, economic models, market analysis, business model structuring, skills pooling, and value‑sharing mechanisms, with the objective of enabling training partners to achieve long-term financial autonomy. This involvement fully justifies the presence of a business school within a predominantly agricultural project and reflects a unique hybridization between public, technical, and academic actors, in line with emlyon business school’s positioning as a mission-driven institution. The “Transitions and Transformations in Agricultural Markets” Chair embodies the school’s commitment to national priorities.
Through this research chair, we will leverage our academic expertise in management (marketing and finance) to address a concrete societal challenge: supporting the structuring of the plant‑protein sector, enabling tomorrow’s leaders to be trained in sustainability issues, and contributing to the transition toward greater protein sovereignty in France. We hope that our research will help anchor these new agricultural practices over the long term and enrich the academic literature on market transformation.
Objectives: Support, Develop, and Secure
The “Transitions and Transformations in Agricultural Markets” research chair aims to support and secure the economic development of the training initiatives linked to the Formidable Protéine 2 program, ensuring their sustainability beyond the period covered by public funding. Its mission is to analyze and structure viable economic models for agricultural and agri‑food training programs by examining target markets, skills needs, learner volumes, and potential funding sources. The chair also seeks to design, test, and evaluate innovative training business models that incorporate shared competency blocks, optimized pedagogical and organizational costs, and considerations related to intellectual property and value‑sharing among partners. In parallel, it aims to equip training stakeholders (institutions, organizations, trainers) with tools to strengthen their financial and strategic autonomy, while contributing to the long‑term transformation of plant‑protein value chains through the development of skills adapted to evolving professions—from vocational high schools to doctoral programs and continuing professional education.
Terres Inovia, the French Technical Institute for Agriculture
Terres Inovia is France’s leading institute dedicated to research and innovation in oilseed crops, grain legumes, and hemp.
With nearly 70 years of agronomic expertise, the institute builds on a long-standing culture of continuous innovation to support the evolution of agricultural practices.
Recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-food and Food Sovereignty as an official technical agricultural institute, Terres Inovia works to strengthen the performance, resilience, and adaptability of production systems in response to agroecological challenges. It provides agricultural value chains with practical tools, proven methodologies, and on‑the‑ground technical support to foster their development.
Through this research chair, Terres Inovia aims to strengthen the connections and shared understanding between agronomic research, economic analysis, and the training of sector stakeholders. By combining emlyon business school’s academic expertise with our knowledge of agricultural systems and value chains, this initiative will help deepen our understanding of market dynamics and the conditions required for the development of plant-based proteins in France. The research conducted within this chair seeks to support the sustainable structuring of these sectors, inform the economic decisions of stakeholders, and contribute—through scientific knowledge and training—to the transition toward a more resilient agriculture and greater protein sovereignty.
Project Contributors
Verena Gruber
Professor, emlyon business school
Verena Gruber is an Associate Professor of Marketing, and her research broadly focuses on consumption and sustainability. Her work examines how individuals make sense of social and environmental aspects in their everyday lives through the products they choose, the ethical lifestyles they adopt, or their engagement with nonprofit organizations. She also studies how marketing practices can either support or hinder environmental transitions, such as the role of advertising in shaping consumer perceptions or the influence of environmental impact measures on product choices.
She has previously worked at HEC Montreal (Canada) and WU Vienna (Austria), where she received her habilitation venia docendi in 2015 and her doctoral degree in 2012.
Benoît Chevalier-Roignant
Professor, emlyon business school
Benoît Chevalier-Roignant is a Full Professor at emlyon business school researching topics at the juncture of corporate finance, operations research and industrial organization.
Frédéric Fine
Director of Business Development
Terres Inovia
Frédéric Fine is Director of Valorization at Terres Inovia, the French technical agricultural institute specializing in oilseeds, grain legumes, and hemp, supporting the development of plant-based oils and proteins. In this role, he oversees activities at the intersection of innovation, economic development, marketing, and partnerships. He notably supports student competitions such as the CAP Protéines Challenge or emlyon’s PCE Challenge, with the objective of creating new avenues for agricultural product valorization and fostering the emergence of innovative business models. Convinced that the most impactful innovations arise at the crossroads of research, industry, and markets, he advocates for an approach that combines scientific expertise with business vision. His career reflects the importance of dual technical and managerial competencies, as well as the ability to transform scientific ideas into concrete, socially useful solutions.
Contacts
