Launch of the “IA Montpellier Méditerranée” Association – A New Major Player in the Artificial Intelligence Landscape

[Press Release] - Published on September 18, 2025 in Press Room, Major Programs

On Thursday, September 25, six founding members joined forces to create the “IA Montpellier Méditerranée” association and pursue a bold vision for artificial intelligence in Montpellier and the Occitanie region. Announced last February at the IA Connect conference, this vision is rooted not only in the mathematical and computational foundations of artificial intelligence but also in its role as a tool that has become indispensable in the fields of life sciences and the environment. The six founding members are: the Occitanie Region, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, the University of Montpellier, the Montpellier University Hospital, Digital 113, and French Tech Méditerranée.

Earlier that same day, the University of Montpellier will bring together the academic community and its partners for a day dedicated to the theme “AI and Health—Global Health in the Age of AI” to explore advances, challenges, experimental frameworks, and concrete solutions in the areas of education, research, and innovation. On the agenda (registration required): an opening ceremony with official speeches, followed by several presentations and roundtable discussions throughout the day. A public lecture at 5:30 p.m., followed by the official launch of the IA Montpellier Méditerranée association at 6:30 p.m.

A strong presence in Montpellier and exemplary coordination among stakeholders

The Montpellier site is characterized by a strong commitment to the digital sector and to interfaces with living organisms, health, and the environment. With its strong base of startups, companies, universities, and research organizations, Montpellier also drives the MEDVALLE initiative, which is closely aligned with the University of Montpellier’s “Feed, Care for, Protect” projects.

Montpellier is recognized for its many achievements in research and innovation, as reflected in its international rankings—whether for its university (ranked among the top 200 universities in the world in the Shanghai Ranking, first among French institutions in the THE Impact Ranking, first place among French institutions in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “Health and Well-being” ranking) or for its BIC incubator (a pioneer among technology incubators in France and Europe, ranked since 2014 among the top 5 best public incubators worldwide in the UBI Global ranking). The Montpellier University Hospital is a pioneer in transformation through generative AI. Following the example of the Occitanie Region, which has recognized the challenge posed by AI by adopting a €60M plan in 2024 for the 2024–2028 period to establish a responsible and reliable “AI Occitanie” sector, local governments are investing heavily in the digital and artificial intelligence sectors.

For years, stakeholders have been working in a recognized, coordinated manner, supported by government agencies—notably the DREETS—which assists in the development of strategic sectors and fosters innovation and skills development at the regional level.

This alignment of stakeholders is reflected in the composition of the association’s executive board, with Anne Laurent (University of Montpellier) serving as President, David Morquin (Montpellier University Hospital) as Vice President, Arnault Ioualalen (French Tech Méditerranée) as Treasurer, Françoise Nauton-Inglis (Digital 113) as Assistant Treasurer, Manu Reynaud (Métropole) as Secretary, and Marc Sztulman (Occitanie Region) as Assistant Secretary.

A Vision and a Roadmap

The association's purpose is to promote projects involving ethical, sovereign, and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI).

It works for the benefit of all stakeholders at the site to: Foster AI Research development projects; develop initiatives related to education, training, and awareness-raising in AI, particularly the Science and society; showcase the AI community and its events through the “Halles de l’IA”; promote collaboration in AI; foster and disseminate a culture of ethics and regulation in AI; and support calls for projects from one or more of its members.

To achieve this goal, the association is committed to continuing and expanding its efforts to coordinate stakeholders in order to facilitate the pooling of expertise around calls for projects and support for proposals, and to help organize outreach activities for both expert and non-expert audiences. The association is already supporting flagship projects led by stakeholders at the site: AI Halls, tools for ensuring compliance with the European AI Regulation, and AI testing tools (AICET, sandbox, etc.).

A Call for Participation in Activities and Membership

All stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to the strong momentum currently underway in Montpellier: by contributing to collectively led projects, participating in specific working groups (for example, to share information on AI-related calls for proposals), taking part in events at Les Halles de l’IA, and helping to certify events…

Membership is open to legal entities (research institutions, companies, associations, etc.). A reduced rate (50%) applies in several cases. Membership applications are subject to approval by the association’s board.