Innovation after-work event: spotlight on the innovative students of tomorrow

[Article] - Published on September 12, 2025 in University Innovation Cluster (PUI)

The sixth edition of the Innovation Afterwork event took place on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at the Orangerie in Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes. It was an opportunity to raise awareness among students about all the support mechanisms offered by the University Innovation Hub (PUI) has to offer. Seven innovation awards were also presented, including the brand new "Coup de cœur Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole" award, created this year.

"We have been conducting intensive research here for a long time... But it is finally structured,"said Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier,in his opening speech. On Tuesday, July 8, the cream of the regional deep tech community gathered at the Jardin des Plantes for the traditional Innovation Afterwork event, organized by Montpellier's University Innovation Cluster (PUI).

This year, students were the talk of the town. "The after-work event was designed as a showcase for our community, but aimed at a young audience. We want to raise awareness among our students and doctoral candidates about innovation by making the programs more visible," added Philippe Augé. A common theme in most of the speeches, they were therefore the focus of attention, with a single message: bring your ideas to life, the coast is clear!

Springboards for students

From student entrepreneur status to CIFRE theses, via calls for projects such as Montpellier Innovation Booster (BIM) or Companies and Campus, students were able to explore all the "springboards" made available to them by the PUI during this grand evening dedicated to innovation. Not to mention the "Pre-incubate to co-incubate" programs, designed to support innovative projects and transform these students into the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

On this occasion, all the structures associated with the development of startups in Montpellier were present:the Initium incubator, the Montpellier Business & Innovation Center (BIC), AgroVallée incubation, and TTM Factory, the incubator of the Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (Satt AxLr). In just three years, the PUI has developed and orchestrated an entire ecosystem designed to facilitate their work, and this was essentially the theme of this new Afterwork event.

“The desire to be an entrepreneur is neither innate nor a given... It is developed and requires skills that can be acquired through training,” acknowledged Agnès Fichard-Caroll, Vice President of the University of Montpellier in charge of training and university life, during the round table discussion. Alongside her, Kate Rivière, head of the Initium Incubator, and Pascal Giat, head of the Cifre department at the National Agency for Research and Technology (ANRT), detailed the tools available at their respective organizations in the presence of two students who had already taken the plunge. "I wasn't an entrepreneur at heart... And I benefited from intensive support," said Yannick Lepecq, an M2 student incubated at Initium.

Growing innovation through collaborative research

Logan Chevret, a doctoral student at ICGM, works at Saint-Gobain on the development of an innovative chemical recycling process and the synthesis of new recyclable materials. He is benefiting from a CIFRE thesis, and the project has benefited from the Companies and Campus program supported by Montpellier's PUI, giving a boost to the commercialization of this innovation.
"It is thanks to the programs created and supported in Montpellier that my research has been able to accelerate and be promoted in this way. Without this support, the level of promotion achieved today would not have been possible."

Vice President in charge of innovation and partnerships, Philippe Combette reiterated how essential it is for France to catch up in terms of industry. "The rise of deep tech highlights the importance of funding intensive research," he insisted , before returning to the essential role of the PUI, which is entirely focused on the future. "In France, there is a large pool of scientific talent, yet only a small fraction is committed to innovation. The challenge is to grow this active base."

“So that it seems simpler here than elsewhere”

The mayor of Montpellier and president of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, Michaël Delafosse, also applauded the thriving talent pool and ecosystem. "Those who want to innovate can sometimes face complexities... But by working together, we are lowering the barriers to creation and innovation," he argued, referring to the tripartite agreement signed between Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the UM, and Satt AxLR. "We want to be transparent, clear, and aligned... So that there is no silo effect and all mechanisms can be activated. So that it seems simpler here than elsewhere!" he summarized. "I want to express the wish that Montpellier, with the academic excellence that is its strength, will be the region with the most business creators, jobs, innovative projects, and patents. This must be our challenge. And we have all the ingredients to achieve it."

The highlight of a new year rich in creativity and discovery, the event finally rewarded seven researchers for initiating and developing particularly promising projects in their field (see details below). It was an opportunity to shine a spotlight on researchers who are not only discovering new things, but above all paving the way for the future!

Seven innovation awards

Keywords: Innovation, PUI