2021-2022 Innovation Awards Ceremony during the Afterwork Innovation event hosted by the University of Montpellier and its partners
The next Innovation Afterwork event at the University of Montpellier will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, starting at 6 p.m. This evening event will feature the Innovation Awards ceremony and will be the focus of various discussions and meetings on the innovation and partnership policy of the University of Montpellier and its partners.
By invitation only
Why hold an Innovation after-work event at UM?
The University of Montpellier, ranked first among French universities in the global ranking of universities making the greatest efforts to advance science, invent new technologies, and help support the growth of the global economy (Reuters 2019) and one of five pilot universities in a university innovation cluster (PUI), will take advantage of this opportunity for discussion and networking to showcase its strategy for innovation and partnership, present its latest success stories, and discuss future challenges.
This after-work event will also feature the traditional Innovation Awards ceremony for researchers, as well as female researchers and Professors have distinguished themselves by developing innovative ideas that open up new economic, technological, or societal avenues.
The Innovation Awards in a nutshell
The "Montpellier University Innovation Awards," launched in March 2019, aim to highlight researchers, Professors staff from institutions and organizations within the I-SITE consortium who are at the heart of initiatives involving particularly innovative projects, especially in terms of their expected impact. A call for applications is issued each year to all UM staff and its I-SITE partners. Applications are evaluated by a jury composed of leading figures from the worlds of higher education, research, and socio-economics.
Five winners of the 2021-2022 Innovation Award
During the awards ceremony, the winners will explain their backgrounds and projects in more detail.
- Magalie GIES: Postdoctoral researcher at CIRAD (UMR Qualisud)
Agronomy, Environment, and Biodiversity Division
Magali Gies obtained her PhD in 2019 from the University of Montpellier, during which she developed a functional food based on fermented cereals, probiotic, plant-based, with cholesterol-lowering potential thanks to the incorporation of phytosterols. Malnutrition/overnutrition is a global issue that affects all populations, regardless of social background. This food is therefore intended for populations in newly industrialized countries, where the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is growing exponentially. Magali Gies is currently continuing her work through the PROMET project (MUSE project funding) as a postdoctoral researcher at CIRAD.
- Alain THIERRY, Researcher at Inserm (UMR IRCM – Montpellier Research Institute)
Biology-Health Cluster
Alain Thierry is currently Inserm Research Director at the IRCM and heads the "Biomarkers for Precision Medicine in Oncology" team. Fifteen years ago, he began fundamental research on circulating DNA, which quickly revealed strong potential for clinical applications and innovations. Today, this work makes it possible to determine the choice of treatment, detect residual disease after surgery, monitor recurrence, and detect resistance to treatment. Alain Thierry's team is considered one of the best in the world in this field.
- Habib BELAID, Postdoctoral researcher at CNRS (UMR IEM European Institute of Membranes)
Chemistry Division
Habib Belaid is a postdoctoral researcher at the European Membrane Institute (IEM) in Montpellier. His work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of biomaterials for healthcare applications. His research has led to the development of new formulations of printable composite materials with biocompatible and bioresorbable properties, as well as bioactive and antibacterial properties. The launch of a new product and service will address a major health issue in the field of bone tissue engineering in dentistry and oncology.
- Vincent CREUZE, Professor at the University of Montpellier (UMR LIRMM – Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics)
Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Systems Division
Vincent Creuze's work focuses on "small" underwater robots weighing less than 100 kg designed at LIRMM. These innovations are now used daily by French archaeologists at depths of up to 2,500 meters, both for scientific missions to study and preserve heritage and for missions in the public interest. Vincent Creuze has been working since 2014 in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Department of Underwater and Underwater Archaeological Research. Thanks to these innovations, France is currently the leading country in the daily use of robots specialized in underwater archaeology. This French expertise in deep-sea archaeology is recognized worldwide by archaeologists and scientists and has received significant media coverage.
- Sophie SPRING, Lecturer and researcher at the University of Montpellier (UMR MRM – Montpellier Research Management)
Social Sciences Division
Sophie Spring has designed a serious game dedicated to raising awareness among business project leaders about the challenges of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Incubagame is a free game, open to all, downloadable on computers, phones, or tablets. The gaming experience is unlimited and offers access to simple and user-friendly educational resources. The aim of the game is to explore key issues in business creation (suitability of the project for the creator, market positioning of the offering, legal and financial structure) by including parameters related to CSR considerations from the project development phase onwards.