An ambitious partnership and innovation policy

Transforming research to provide added value for society as a whole

The promotion and technology transfer of INSIS research contributes to improving the competitiveness of companies and to job creation in sectors linked with major societal challenges such as sustainable development, renewable energies, health and quality of life, etc.

In this context, the priority for the INSIS is a long-term partnership research policy to solve industrial obstacles with high scientific and societal stakes.

Creating long-lasting sustainable relations with companies

Companies regularly identify technological obstacles involving scientific questions which interest INSIS researchers who can suggest ways of improving situations or resolving problems to companies through their work.

To encourage long-term research, the INSIS has forged lasting links with major groups: PSA, Total, Safran, Airbus, Orange, Essilor, Alstom, Michelin, Thales, EDF, etc. Equally numerous collaborations have been established with small and medium-sized businesses and start-up companies. Contracts and ad hoc structures have been set up to encourage long-term work based on jointly defined objectives.

Joint laboratories

Joint laboratory contracts differ from basic research collaboration contracts in terms of their annual programming activity and governance and are particularly used within INSIS units. The aim of a joint laboratory is to bring structuring projects based on important scientific and industrial issues to fruition. Large corporations and companies can easily make use of this system as is also the case for small and medium-sized companies who mainly use the French National Research Agency's (ANR) LabCom system to do so.

The progress of this bilateral research is largely ensured by the work of young researchers who share their research time between laboratories and companies and receive funding from their theses thanks to the National Association of Research and Technology's (ANRT) Industrial Agreements for Training through Research (Cifre).

The ANRT website

Diversified forms of collaboration

Other effective relationships between industry and INSIS laboratories are organized and managed on the basis of industrial chairs, scientific interest groups (GIS) and research networks (GDR).

There are numerous other collaboration projects within the framework of competitiveness clusters, the Carnot Institutes, the Technological Research Institutes (IRT) and the French Institutes for Energy Transition (ITE) and so forth.

Finally, the Initial Support for Exploratory Projects Programme (Peps) enables companies to assess the relevance of their long-term strategy on futuristic technologies (open innovation). Peps programmes with specific themes are co-organized and managed every year by INSIS as is the case with the partnership with the Total group for example.

How this approach is applied internationally

International industrial partnerships have also been set up as is illustrated by the creation of two structures specializing in nanotechnologies. These are the CINTRA International Joint Unit based in Singapore which is a joint project managed with the Thales Group and Nanyang Technological University and the joint laboratory set up on the basis of an agreement between ST Microelectronics and the LN2 International Joint Unit based at the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada.

In Japan, there is a Joint Research Programme linking the Tokyo-based JRL International Joint Unit and Airbus as part of a structuring collaboration in the field of robotics.

Encouraging technology transfer

Technology transfer frequently results from company-laboratory collaboration projects. In this framework, the intellectual protection of research results on patents, software and know-how is strongly encouraged. Around twenty operating licenses are signed annually by the Institute. The INSIS has also set up a network of "technology transfer" partners within its laboratories to exchange and inform researchers about best practices related to promotion and transfer, protecting results and economic intelligence.

Investing in start-up companies created by researchers

The research carried out at the INSIS into both concepts at their earliest stages and systems close to being ready for application also has a significant socio-economic impact which results in the creation of highly innovative companies.

Since 1999, the CNRS has created or taking part in setting up over than 1000 start-up companies to enhance the value of its laboratories research. Of these, 319 are the result of research conducted by INSIS laboratories with 262 still in operation.

These start-up companies have regularly received awards in competitions which support the creation of innovative companies. Rheonova and ThrustMe won the i-LAB 2017 competition while Abbelight was among the 8 winners of the 2017 Start-up Connexion.