The “Institut National de Recherche et d’Analyse Physico-Chimique” (INRAP) was created in Tunisia in January 2nd, 1995 to support research and development, as well as, different socio-economic sectors, for developing new analytical methods to meet the national needs and to valorize research results and promote their exploitation by industries to stimulate links between research and industry.
The INRAP institute includes three research laboratories, 32 researchers and 50 PhD students, focusing basically on three key themes: environment, food and health, and several analytical laboratories, employing 24 engineers and 20 technicians. INRAP is also the center of reference of the Tunisian institutions regarding chemical metrology and it is a designated institute having already access to European initiatives through the EMPIR program (European Metrology Program).
Furthermore, the institute has the responsibility of taking part in customs and border protection activities, control of products for import and export, as well as, quality control, organize trainings in the field of physical-chemical analysis, and to develop an expertise in the analysis of warfare chemicals, to later train other African countries, etc. In terms of analytical expertise and instrumentation, the INRAP is very well equipped with excellent personnel and with a series of mass spectrometers (GC/ICP/MS, LC/MS, GC/MS, LC/MS/MS and GC/MS/MS), a multifunction nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy NMR instrument and a variety of other remarkable instruments devoted to surface analysis, molecular, elemental and organic analysis.
