The MERIT “International Maternal and Child Health” research unit is a joint research unit between the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), the University of Paris Cité (UPCité) and INSERM.
The unit conducts research programs aimed at analyzing the factors responsible for morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, in the postpartum period and during the first years of life.

The UMR MERIT stands out for its strong multidisciplinarity, allowing it to explore its research issues through complementary approaches (epidemiology, demography, biology and biostatistics), with locations in Paris and Cotonou as well as projects in the Central African Republic, Ghana and Togo.