The research station of Lautaret Garden is a set of infrastructures and human resources at the service of alpine environmental research, spread over two sites open all year round. One is located on the campus of the University Grenoble Alpes (dept 38), it is divided into greenhouses, arboretum, experimental zone. The other is located at the Lautaret pass (dept 05) at an altitude of 2100m. The site of altitude gathers an Alpine Botanical Garden, three buildings, an experimental zone and natural area. This structure provides field support for scientific projects, two laboratories, accommodation for 46 people, hydrology and climate data and also botanical expertise. It organizes, in its multimedia room and meeting rooms, trainings, thematic schools, conferences, seminars. The research themes developed mainly concern the ecology of environments in relation to climate, socio-ecosystems, adaptation of living organisms, the physical environment and biogeochemical cycles. Some projects have been carried out since 1980, others operate on a multi-year basis. The station also welcomes foreign researchers within the framework of the Transnational access.

Draix-Bleone observatory was created in 1983 to study mountain erosion and sediment transport. It is located in the French South Alps, upstream of Digne, on the left side (Draix site) and right side (Galabre site) of the Bleone river. Several catchments are equipped to measure water and sediment fluxes, at spatial scales ranging from 0.001 km2 to 34 km2, with contrasted land use and land cover. The smallest catchments are entirely situated on black marl that are very sensitive to weathering and erosion, resulting in a badland topography. The Bouinenc and Galabre catchments integrate a larger diversity of lithologies and land use that are characteristic of the Pre-Alps. The climate is mountainous and Mediterranean. These sites are characterized by their intense erosion and intermittent sediment fluxes. The variables that are monitored on the long-term include rainfall and meteorology, high-frequency water discharge and suspended sediment concentration (1-10 minutes), event-scale bedload transport, some physico-chemical properties of stream water and sediments. Draix-Bleone Observatory is managed by IGE and is funded by INRAE, INSU and OSUG. It is a member of the French research infrastructure OZCAR. The GIS Draix-Bleone gathers all research teams involved on these sites.

The Lautaret-Oisans platform focuses on the study of socio-ecosystems and the critical zone of the alpine mountains. The research and observation sites are focused on three sub-systems: little-engineered high mountains; alpine pastures; and lakes, rivers and watershed heads. The platform is built around the Lautaret-Roche-Noire site (https://deims.org/8574370e-934e-418a-af63-e15f4cbc5084) and Lautaret Garden infrastructures.