UM at the heart of the Curie network
From June 13 to 15, the University of Montpellier hosted the Curie conference, bringing together 600 professionals involved in the commercialization of public research in France. This was an opportunity to discuss best practices in this highly dynamic sector, especially since UM is one of the five experimental University Innovation Hubs (PUI) and its Innovation and Partnerships Division is further expanding its activities.
“I think it’s safe to say that these three days were a resounding success,” says Gaëtan Lan Sun Luk with a smile, following the Curie Congress held at the Corum from June 13 to 15. This annual event brings together professionals in the field of public research commercialization in a different city each year. For the 2022 edition, 600 attendees gathered under the sunny skies of Montpellier.“We were able to meet with the heads of innovation and partnerships from French universities and research institutions, as well as various technology transfer offices, incubators, sponsors, and representatives from the Ministry”…
Exchange of best practices
And while the atmosphere was certainly cheerful, the schedule was no less packed. Nadia Pellefigue, Vice President of the Occitanie region in charge of higher education and research, kicked off the event with a lecture on commitment to promoting public research. “Commitment was the central theme of this conference. Commitment to promoting research, commitment to helping a project leader achieve their goal, and personal commitment to giving meaning to one’s mission,” emphasized Gaëtan Lan Sun Luk, who spoke during a workshop on developments following the Pacte Law regarding public-private partnerships.
A total of 40 workshops allowed participants to discuss their practices on topics as diverse as tools and methods for commercialization, industry clubs, labcoms, and the integration of sustainable development into commercialization efforts. This year, particular emphasis was placed on the practices of our German neighbors. “This annual gathering is a great opportunity for us all to make progress and move projects forward. We work, but we also discuss things during meals and in our downtime,” says the director of the DIPA.
Building momentum
The remarks by François Pierrot, Vice President for Innovation at UM, provided an opportunity to revisit the major strategic initiative: the University Innovation Hub (PUI). UM is one of five universities designated by the government and even receives one of the largest grants, amounting to 2.5 million euros.“The initiative will ramp up starting next September and will allow us to restructure and expand our efforts,” adds Gaëtan Lan Sun Luk.
Continuing the ideation process launched within Montpellier’s innovation accelerator, recruiting new engineers, developing a robust pipeline between laboratories and innovative companies…“We’re doing a relatively good job of identifying innovations in our laboratories. We’re a bit less effective in what’s known as the ‘market-pool ,’ that is, responding to market demand. “We’re going to work on that,” the director says.
Get your projects off the ground
Another priority for the coming months is to reach out more directly to researchers, who are still too often unaware of the wide range of services and support the DIPA can offer to help them promote their research. To better inform them, the department is launching a new video series titled“Décollage,” in which researchers explain how the Department of Innovation and Partnerships has helped them along their journey:“The basic premise is that people are more likely to listen to a peer than to an administrator, and that a video is sometimes more effective than any speech given at a conference,” explains Gaëtan Lan Sun Luk.
A mini-series of six three-minute segments exploring the various ways researchers can engage in innovation transfer. The first three are already available online. They feature Valérie Guillard, a researcher at theIATE laboratory and coordinator of the Glopackresearch project, who presents European calls for proposals; David Andreu, a researcher at Lirmm and co-founder of the startup Neurinnov, discusses the business creation aspect; and finally, Xavier Garric, fromthe Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules and co-founder of the startup Womed, who received support to provide scientific consulting services to his company.
“The goal of this series is to highlight a success story—a gem of a researcher,” explains Melissa Iannetta, project manager at DIPA. “Whether it’s a response to a European call for proposals or the launch of a startup, DIPA is here to provide the best possible support for all types of projects and boost their chances of success!” Three more episodes will be available soon on the UM website.