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Develop your innovative projects with Companies & Campus!

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Interested in bringing an innovation project to life with a research lab or a company?

The Montpellier University Innovation Park (PUI) has considerable potential to help reduce economic disparities in the region. Led by the University of Montpellier and a consortium of stakeholders from the research and innovation ecosystem, it fosters the creation of startups, promotes innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and enhances the region’s appeal to outside companies.

Launched in 2018, the “Companies and Campus” call for projects has established itself as a key initiative of the PUI. Supported by the ISITE Excellence Program (PEI), it promotes collaborative research and fosters technology transfer.

Over the course of 16 rounds, 63 winning projects have been supported and more than €2,500,000 in funding has been awarded.

Objectives

Promote mobility

Mobility can take various forms, including hosting a private-sector partner at the Campus’s research units or hosting a researcher from our research units at the partner company. Serving as a true bridge between the public and private sectors, the “Companies and Campus” call for projects aims to facilitate the establishment of new collaborations between research units and private partners. This incentive for mobility provides greater clarity regarding innovation capabilities.

Establish a long-term partnership

In order to continue the technological developments initiated under the Companies and Campus program, each project must seek to secure appropriate funding, such as the LABCOM ANR grant, the ANR Industrial Chair, or the Occitanie Region POC. Ultimately, the goal is to establish a sustainable collaborative relationship between the relevant research team and the private partner.

Strengthen efforts to promote knowledge transfer and utilization

For funded projects, the research team must file an invention disclosure with their partnership and commercialization office regarding the results of the collaborative research program. Should these results be commercialized, the terms of the technology transfer will be negotiated between the institution and the company.

Target audience

This program is intended for the research units of the PEI partners and the departments of the FHU, the Montpellier and Nîmes University Hospitals, and the Montpellier Cancer Institute.

The project must be led by one of the 14 founding members of the PUI, in collaboration with a private partner (an existing company or an individual planning to start a business).

List of founding members of the PUI: University of Montpellier; BRGM (Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières); Montpellier University Hospital and University Hospital Foundation ( CHU and FHU de Montpellier ); Nîmes University Hospital and University Hospital Foundation ( CHU and FHU de Nîmes); CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development); CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research); ENSCM (Montpellier National School of Chemistry); ICM (Montpellier Cancer Institute); IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea); INRAE (National Institute for Agricultural Research, Food and the Environment); INRIA (National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology); INSERM (National Institute of Health and Medical Research); Institut Agro de Montpellier; IRD (Research Institute for Development).

Funding allocated

The 2026 budget for the “Companies and Campus” program is at least €450,000.

The grant will be awarded to the research unit and will range from €10,000 (excluding tax) to €50,000 (excluding tax) for a maximum period of two years.

Eligibility Requirements

Two main conditions must be met:

1) The existence of a new research collaboration: the research unit must provide evidence of a new research collaboration agreement that includes a sharing of intellectual property between the research unit’s sponsoring bodies and the private partner; the provision of services is excluded. Research contracts already signed no later than two months prior to the project submission date are eligible provided that the research unit and the private partner agree on the terms and conditions relating to “Companies and Campus” in an amendment to that contract. At the time of submitting the “Companies and Campus” application, the research collaboration agreement or its amendment must have been approved by the partnership office of the sponsoring institution of the EIP member unit that will enter into a contract with the company or project leader.

2) The commitment to host staff from the private partner or a business project leader on campus , and/orthe commitment to host research unit staff at the private partner’s premises for a minimum continuous or cumulative period of 6 months. In the case of CIFRE theses, the doctoral student will be considered an employee of the private partner hosted on campus.

Process

  1. The project sponsor and its private partner agree on a collaborative research program . This program must include a clearly identified “Companies and Campus” funding option intended to be proposed as a supplement to the core program;
  2. The principal investigator identifies a PUI partner institution that will serve as the administrator of the research collaboration agreement. At least one week before the submission deadline, the principal investigator submits the completed and approved “Companies and Campus” form to that institution’s partnership office for review, feedback, and signature;
  3. A panel of scientific advisors and commercialization advisors from the PUI reviews the applications in accordance with the “Schedule” and the “evaluation criteria” outlined below;
  4. The final decision on the allocation of funding for the collaborative research project is made by COMIN (the PUI Investment and Innovation Committee) during an oral hearing and in accordance with the schedule set forth in the “Schedule” section below;
  5. The private partner and the establishment of the PUI for the selected project sign the research collaboration agreement and send a signed copy to the Office of Innovation and Partnerships (DIPA) at the University of Montpellier at ;
  6. The partnership office at the PUI partner institution must ensure consistency (scientific, financial, etc.) between the “Companies and Campus” application and the associated research collaboration agreement;
  7. The University of Montpellier allocates funding to the research unit or the host institution (only in the case of healthcare institutions or if the University of Montpellier does not oversee the research unit) under the research collaboration agreement for which the project has been selected.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses include the following:

  • Expenses related to non-permanent staff hired by the University of Montpellier or, where applicable, by the research unit’s supervising body, when the University of Montpellier is not the supervising body (e.g., a research engineer hired on a one-year fixed-term contract to conduct fieldwork and collect data);
  • Intern compensation;
  • Purchase of equipment, including parts for prototypes and office supplies (desks, computer equipment, etc.), by the unit’s supervising body;
  • Services directly related to the scientific project or the hosting of the partner, including the preparation of a space needed to accommodate the company’s staff;
  • Operating expenses and purchases of supplies for the unit as part of the scientific project;
  • Travel expenses.

Expenses related to permanent staff are not eligible. The financial assistance provided is intended solely to support the development and implementation of the project within the research unit. Under no circumstances may it be used as indirect funding for the private partner involved in the project.

The project sponsor has six months from the date of receipt of the notification of award to provide all the necessary documentation for the release of funds. Failure to do so may result in COMIN canceling the funding.

Assessment Criteria

The “Companies and Campus” program coordinator, along with the commercialization and scientific advisors, are responsible for evaluating the applications. The program coordinator will submit the applications to COMIN for a decision.

COMIN is a body composed of: 

  • Representatives of the founding institutions of the PUI;
  • Representatives of recycling subsidiaries;
  • Directors of research clusters or their representatives;
  • Invited guests, designated scientific or technical experts.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Contribution of personnel to the project (out of 5 points);
  • Scientific merit of the project and alignment with one or more themes of the PEI—“Feed, Protect, and Care”—(out of 5 points);
  • Financial viability of the project (out of 5 points);
  • Project's potential for success (out of 5 points);
  • Bonus criteria: type of partner company, length of the relationship, and location of the private partner (0 to 2 points).

To participate

1. 2026 Calendar

Call for proposals: December 2026

Three application deadlines to streamline the process:

  • Session 1: February 2, 2026 (6:00 p.m. Paris time)
  • Session 2: May 29, 2026 (6:00 p.m. Paris time)
  • Session 3: October 5, 2026 (6:00 p.m. Paris time)

Announcement of results:

  • Session 1: March 2026
  • Session 2: June 2026
  • Session 3: December 2026

2. RESOURCE documents:

3. Submit the application form

Available in PDF format, in French or English, at the following address

DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS

Funding will be disbursed in accordance with the above schedule after the research collaboration agreement, signed by both parties, has been submitted to the University of Montpellier’s Office of Innovation and Partnerships (DIPA).

The collaboration agreement or its amendment must specify the hosting commitment of the research unit and/or the private partner, as well as the financial support provided by the Companies and Campus call for proposals.

For research units affiliated with the University of Montpellier, funding will be disbursed through the University of Montpellier’s budget line dedicated to the unit. For research units not affiliated with the University of Montpellier, barring exceptions, “doctoral student” staff will be hired by the University of Montpellier and made available to the research unit through a hosting agreement. A transfer agreement will be drawn up to transfer the balance of the financial aid granted.

FAQ

  • Should we submit a proposal in response to the call for projects before or after signing the collaboration agreement?
    The application for the call for projects does not require the collaboration agreement to be signed. Therefore, you may submit your proposal either before or after signing, as long as it is for a new research project. Additionally, an amendment to an existing collaboration is possible if it outlines a new research program with the associated budget.
    However, if the project receives a favorable review, the signed collaboration agreement or amendment will be requested by the University of Montpellier’s Directorate of Innovation and Partnerships (DIPA) for the award of funding.
  • Who submits the application and puts together the proposal? The unit or the company?
    The principal investigator will prepare the project proposal with support from the Partnership & Commercialization Office of the research unit’s governing body. (Example: for a collaboration with the LIRMM laboratory, the unit’s researcher, with support from a Partnership & Commercialization (SPV) officer from the CNRS or the university, will prepare the application)
  • Who receives the funding? The company or the research unit?
    It is the research unit’s sponsoring institution that receives the funding for the collaborative project. Even though the company ultimately benefits from it (the grant helps reduce the costs incurred by the company for the additional portion of the project funded by Companies and Campus), for regulatory reasons, this funding cannot be paid directly to the company.
  • Regarding the placement of company staff on campus, does the company remain the “employer”? How long does the placement last, and how many staff members can be on campus?
    Yes, the company remains the employer of the employee placed on campus. The minimum duration is 6 months for the entire period of collaboration. The company may choose to involve several of its employees in the campus project (for example, some companies have made three employees available for 12 months each).
  • Would the funding provided be sufficient to cover the salaries of company employees while they are on campus?
    No, since the company remains the employer and the administrator of the employee’s employment contract, the funding does not cover the employee’s wages.
  • You mention, among the eligible expenses, those related to the University of Montpellier hiring temporary staff. What does this entail? How does this benefit the company?
    As part of a research collaboration project, a department and its partner (the company) may identify a need to hire temporary staff (research engineer, design engineer). For example, Beauval Zoo, which committed to hosting one of its employees for a three-year period on campus, relied on Companies And Campus funding to recruit a research engineer for one year. In addition to benefiting from the opportunity to have a skilled professional contribute to the collaborative project, some companies hire the staff member at the end of the fixed-term contract to join their organization.
  • You mention the funding of services among eligible expenses. What does this entail? What types of services?
    As part of a collaborative research project, a unit and its partner (the company) may identify a need to engage service providers to ensure the successful completion of certain project phases. These services may be provided by external companies as well as by internal service providers, particularly technical platforms and healthcare facilities.
    For example, the Nîmes University Hospital offers to conduct an evaluation of a research product or a medico-economic evaluation; the steps to follow are detailed on the Nîmes University Hospital website.
    Another example: the Montpellier University Hospital offers access to health data from the data warehouse (EDS). The steps to follow are detailed on the Montpellier University Hospital website.
    You can also access biological resources from the Montpellier and Nîmes University Hospitals via the BBLRO platform by sending an email.
  • What is the extent of intellectual property sharing?
    Since this is a research collaboration, costs and results are shared. As part of this call for proposals, we are not required to assess the level of sharing. This work is carried out in advance by the Partnership and Commercialization Services in conjunction with the partner company during the drafting of the collaboration agreement. Companies And Campus funding does not affect the IP sharing previously negotiated as part of the collaboration agreement.
  • If the company and/or unit has already received Companies And Campus funding, can it apply again?
    Yes, that is certainly possible, as long as the project is based on a new research collaboration.
  • The project leader would ideally like to involve a second laboratory as well. Can the collaboration take place between the three parties (the company and two research units), or is it preferable to set up two separate collaborative projects? In that case, given that the company will be involved in two applications, won’t its chances of success be reduced or limited?
    In the application form, it is possible to list multiple units involved in the same collaborative project. To illustrate, we can cite the successful NEOCEAN project, which collaborated with four different PEI units (IES, LMGC, LIRMM, ISEM) within the framework of a single project.
  • Is this program complementary to the CIFRE thesis? How can the two be coordinated?
    Yes, it is possible to apply to the Companies and Campus Call for Proposals in addition to the CIFRE thesis. When drafting the scientific appendix, you should mention the “optional” portion of the research program, the funding for which will depend on the allocation of the Companies and Campus grant. To streamline the process, the application for the call for proposals should be submitted just before sending the signed collaboration agreement to the ANRT for the CIFRE thesis.

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