From 2000, the French ministry for agriculture (Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Alimentation, de la Pêche, de la Ruralité et de l'Aménagement du territoire -MAAPRA) has launched a reorganization of the agricultural higher education and research system in life and environmental sciences and technologies through the creation of regional clusters.

MAAPRA has labelled 7 national «competence clusters». They are scientific clusters where agricultural higher education and research centers fit into a multi-institutional and interdisciplinary environment. Montpellier is one of these 7 competence clusters and Agropolis International is the overarching structure of this cluster.

Montpellier was also one of the 12 towns selected in the Opération Campus (governmental funding dedicated to the renovation of universities). This has led in 2009 to the creation of public university systems and consortiums (Pôle de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur- Université Montpellier Sud de France -PRES UMSF) whose first objective was the merging of Montpellier's 3 universities.

More recently, the national consortium Agreenium (Consortium national pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation, la santé animale et l'environnement) was created in 2009. Its purpose is to promote the role of agronomic and veterinary research to meet the challenges of food security and sustainable development. Agreenium implements actions and programmes linking research, training and development, representing the best that France can offer at the international level.