Four strategic research fields

Research at the INSIS focuses on strategic areas for the future of society: energy, the environment, health and the living sphere, information and communication technologies.

Energy

Energy is at the nerve centre of our society and represents a vast field of study for all the Institutes.

The INSIS is the main entry point for this research. It steers the CNRS Cellule Énergie (Energy Cell) and represents the CNRS in the National Alliance for Coordination of Research on Energy (ANCRE).

The CNRS Cellule Énergie site

The ANCRE site

Many research teams work on the theme of energy particularly through INSIS coordination structures such as the Federation of Photovoltaic research (FedPV), the Federation for Research in Magnetic Confinement Fusion-ITER (FCM-ITER) or the Federation for Research into Solar Power (FédEsol).

The environment

The INSIS develops clean processes along with sustainable materials and structures for this sector. It works to reduce noise pollution, pollutant emissions and the environmental impact of certain products.

The INSIS particularly made "green engineering" its priority theme in 2018 and 2019. Green engineering is essentially based on the development of processes and technologies which make it possible to use resources while preserving the environment and natural reserves for future generations. It also involves developing energy-efficient systems and/or optimizing existing processes. This requires an interdisciplinary approach involving all the engineering sciences and an ever-increasing focus on the sustainability and recyclability of objects.

Health and the living sphere

In this sector where the CNRS has become a reference, the INSIS and its partners are making daily progress in medical imaging, micro- and nanosystems for living organisms, tissue engineering, biomechanics and process engineering. The INSIS is also involved in the multi-agency thematic Institute of Health Technologies (ITMO) which is part of the French National Alliance for Life Sciences and Health (AVIESAN).

The Institute of Health Technologies (ITMO) site

Nanotechnologies

This will be a fundamental line of research for the coming years. Researchers at the INSIS are designing and producing ever smaller and more efficient devices which will find applications in communication systems, electronic devices, "intelligent" or "self-repairing" materials.