Grégorio Crini, environmental polymerist, received his PhD in organic and macromolecular chemistrv from the university of Lille in 1995. He joined the university of Franche-Comté at Besançon in 1997 where he was made research director in 2000. His current interests focus on the design of novel polymer networks and the environmental aspects of polysaccharide chemistry. Pierre-Marie Bavot, environmental biologist, received his PhD in plant sciences from the university of Franche-Comté in 1987. He became research director in 1991 and full professor in 1993. His main scientific work deals with responses of living organisms to abiotic stress : pollutaot transfer and effects of pollution on ecosystems.