Irset is a joint research unit of the Inserm institute, Rennes 1 University and the EHESP - School of Public Health, in partnership with the Universities of Angers and the French Antilles, the CNRS, and the Teaching Hospitals of Rennes, Angers and Pointe-à-Pitre.
Its mission is to study the biological processes and the environmental factors (whether chemical, biological, physical, social and cultural, occupational, geographical or economic) that affect human health, and to help public health authorities make informed decisions on the basis of scientific data. Irset's director is Mr. Michel Samson (Inserm Research Director).
The Institute was founded in 2009 and accredited by Inserm in 2012. It was assessed by the HCERES (High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education) in 2016.
Irset includes some 300 research staff (researchers and teaching-researchers, hospital practitioners, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and technical and administrative staff) working in two divisions: Research and Research Support. The Research division comprises 10 officially-accredited research units, including 1 Avenir-Inserm team, 1 emerging team and 2 certified technology platforms. Staff includes:
The Irset research teams all work towards a common goal, which is to better understand the biological processes and environmental factors (physical, chimical, biological, sociocultural and occupational) that affect human health, and to study the related pathologies. They work in a number of complementary areas such as molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, analytical chemistry, toxicology and epidemiology.