The winners of the 21-22 Innovation Awards in the spotlight
At the invitation of the University of Montpellier and its partners in the I-SITE program of excellence, stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem gathered at the Village des Sciences on Tuesday, October 18, for thethird edition of the Innovation Afterwork event. Five researchers engaged in innovative approaches that open up new economic, technological, or societal avenues for new uses were honored with the 2021-2022 Innovation Awards.
Before proceeding with the awards ceremony, Philippe Augé, president of UM, and Philippe Combette, vice president in charge of partnerships and innovation, announced the upcoming launch of athird campaign to support the establishment of new partnerships. These partnerships include the arrival of new employees from companies or entrepreneurs with business creation projects in research structures through the Companies on Campus program . To be continued.
The jury, chaired by Franck Molina, Director of SyS2Diagand winner of the 2020 Innovation Award, selected one candidate for each of the five research areas. Of the 24 applications, only those that stood out in terms of impact, innovation, and novelty were selected. The winners received a personal prize of €3,000, presented by Philippe Combette and Magali Roubieu, Director of Structural Projects at the UM. Xavier Garric, Professor winner of the 2019 Innovation Award, shared his successful experience as co-founder and scientific advisor to WOMED, a company specializing in the treatment of female infertility.
The five 2021 Innovation Awards are:
Biology and Health Division
Alain THIERRY, Researcher at Inserm (UMR IRCM – Montpellier Research Institute)
Alain Thierry is currentlyInsermResearch 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. This work now 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.
Social Sciences Division
Sophie SPRING, Lecturer and researcher at the University of Montpellier (UMR MRM – Montpellier Research Management)
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.
Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems Division
Vincent CREUZE, Professor the University of Montpellier (UMR LIRMM – Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics)
Vincent Creuze's work focuses on "small" underwater robots weighing less than 100 kg designed atLIRMM. 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 Submarine 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.
Agronomy – Environment – Biodiversity Division
Magali GIES, Postdoctoral researcher at CIRAD (UMR Qualisud)
Magali Gies, represented at the awards ceremony, obtained her PhD in 2019 from the University of Montpellier, during which she developed a functional food based on fermented cereals, probiotics, and plants 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. Today, Magali Gies is continuing her work through the PROMET project (MUSE project funding) as a postdoctoral researcher atCIRAD.
Chemistry Division
Habib BELAID, Postdoctoral researcher at the CNRS (UMR IEM European Institute of Membranes)
Habib Belaid is a postdoctoral researcher atthe European Membrane Institute(IEM) in Montpellier. His work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of biomaterials for healthcare applications. It 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.