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CARRTEL is a Joined Research Unit (UMR) of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, & Environment (INRAE) and the University of Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB), founded in 1997. Isabelle Domaizon is Head of CARRTEL, which includes about 40 permanent scientists dedicated to the study of lake ecosystems in interaction with their catchments, spread over the two sites of Thonon (74) and Le Bourget Technolac (73). CARRTEL provides several research facilities, experimental and field resources, courses and trainings, and offers excellent potential for local and international scientific collaborations.

CARRTEL Thonon (46.367289, 6.455412) & CARRTEL Technolac (45.641820, 5.868112)

Lake observation system : CARRTEL manages the System of Observation and Research in Environment (SOERE): Observatory of  LAkes (OLA) , which collects, archives and interprets the physical, chemical and biological data collected for several decades, available in OLA Information System.

CARRTEL is partner of the R&D Pole on Lake Ecosystems (ECLA). Three institutes (French Biodiversity Agency OFB, INRAE, USMB) have created this entity in 2019. The aim is to reconcile the multiple uses of Lake Ecosystems while respecting their remarkable biodiversity, both aquatic and terrestrial, and their ecological functioning.

History of the Lacustrine Hydrobiology Station : The station was inaugurated in 1975 by Raymond Février, Director General of INRA. Philippe Olive, Daniel Gerdeaux, Pierre Luquet and Gerard Balvay then took over the station’s management. In 1999, a Joint Research Unit (UMR-42) was created between INRA (now INRAE) and the University of Savoie (now USMB). Jean Marcel Dorioz was Head of the station (2002 to 2010), then Bernard Montuelle (2011 to 2017), and Jean Guillard (2018 & 2019). Its current Manager since January 2020 is Isabelle Domaizon. Learn more about our lab history

Fundings : CARRTEL’s funding comes from different institutions: French government, European Union, OFB, local public establishments, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, etc. A large part of its overall funding has been successfully acquired through competitive grants over the last years. Visit our Ongoing Projects.

UNIT DIAGRAM