Innovation Afterwork: "A sector for the future and the future of all sectors".
The 5th Innovation Afterwork took place on Monday July 8 at Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes. An opportunity to recall the role and involvement of the university innovation cluster Montpellier's university innovation cluster, which was one of the five pilot establishments in this field in 2021. After two enlightening round tables on public-private partnershipssix researchers received innovation prize from President Philippe Augé.
On the Jardin des Plantes stage on Monday July 8, the University of Montpellier celebrated the union of two worlds. At the 5th Innovation Afterwork, research and business said "yes" to each other. The Pôle Universitaire de l'Innovation (PUI), which will be piloted at the University of Montpellier from 2021, is intended to "federate the entire innovation ecosystem, without the need to create new structures", as President Philippe Augé explained from the podium.
In just one year, the University has welcomed 62 start-up projects, supported 12 Deeptech start-ups and hosted numerous companies on campus. The success of these initiatives was applauded by all those present on Monday evening, including representatives of the French government and the region, as well as business leaders such as Anne-Lise Melki, Managing Director of Biotope, the Hérault-based consultancy firm and Europe's number 1 in ecological engineering, and Alexandra Prieux, President of Alcediag, a Montpellier-based company specializing in innovative diagnostics.
Giving visibility
"When people talk to me about innovation, I deeply understand their hopes, their projects, or what they need," assures Jalil Benabdillah, vice-president of the regional council in charge of the economy. At ease as a fish in water, this engineer by training has followed a similar path to many of the young start-ups supported by the PUI. "Innovation is cross-disciplinary, touching every theme. It has become a sector of the future, and the future of all sectors", said the elected representative, who would like to see the number of new young innovative companies (JEI) increase from around 50 per year to around 100 in the four corners of Occitanie. In his opinion, however, the region now needs to address a number of major issues, including "the climate emergency", "technological and digital transformation", and "social and societal transformation".
Rector Khaled Bouabdallah, in charge of higher education, research and innovation, was equally enthusiastic, applauding the "significant strengthening of the impact of innovation on the economy and society" since the PUI's creation. This unwavering institutional support was corroborated by Hind Emad, vice-president of the Montpellier metropolis in charge of digital technology, who also highlighted the local authority's action - via the example of MedVallée, in the healthcare sector - but also the importance of shared governance alongside the University "to give visibility to the region's innovative companies".
Meet the market
Two round-table discussions brought together researchers, entrepreneurs and staff from public-sector innovation departments to share practical advice and examples of successful partnerships. A case in point was the discussion between Claude Grison, Director of Research at CNRS, who spoke in collaboration with Pierre Le Blainvaux of Technofounders, and Sandrine Guerreiro, Licensing Manager at CNRS. The two co-founded the start-up Laboratoires Bioprotection to produce the innovative Crusoé mosquito repellent. " I've always wanted my work to be useful to society", confided Claude Grison, holder of some 30 patents and winner of numerous awards.
The second round table was attended by Vincent Abello, representing SpyGen, a company specializing in environmental DNA, Léa Mazel, head of the contracts and development department of the UM's innovation and partnerships department, and David Mouilot, a researcher at the Marbec laboratory. The latter took the opportunity to emphasize that the relationship with industry enables scientists "to carry out research with less of a mental burden". " It's a real eye-opener to work alongside people from the private sector, in terms of framing, realism, meeting the market..."testified the marine ecology expert, who is currently working on the potential of coastal resources to reduce poverty in East Africa.
While relations between the two worlds can sometimes prove complex, by the end of the event the various players seemed determined to remove the obstacles one by one. "We need to have the same language, the same stopwatch and the same compass," stressed Philippe Combette, the university's vice-president in charge of partnerships and innovation. " It's not easy working with public research," added Biotope Managing Director Anne-Lise Melki, " but it's very important and useful to do so by starting from small collaborations to get to know each other better." An ambition shared wholeheartedly by President Philippe Augé: "Let's break down the barriers! To create wealth together in our region..."
Six nuggets rewarded
At the end of the evening, six nuggets of research made in Montpellier took to the stage to receive one of six innovation awards. In turn, Sarah Colombani ( PhyMedExp laboratory) was rewarded for having developed a treatment capable of eliminating a recurrent malfunction in mechanical ventilation; Isabelle Bourdon(MRM) was singled out for a project designed to reinforce the traceability of patient consent in clinical trials; Damien Voiry (IEM) for his project to recover and convert CO2 into ethylene; Philippe Rondard(IGF) for an innovative treatment of brain diseases using immunotherapy; Frédérique Aberlenc(Diade) for her device for early sexing of palm trees; and finally Bijan Mohammadi(IMAG) for his artificial intelligence system capable of learning from humans... So many innovative - even revolutionary - projects on their way to conquering the market.