The University of Montpellier is launching “COLLY,” a European research project aimed at better understanding how materials deform under stress
The University of Montpellier has officially launched COLLY (Colloidal Yielding): a project focused on developing shape-changing glasses to explore the plasticity of materials from the macroscopic to the microscopic scale. This European research project is funded by the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) – Postdoctoral Fellowship program.
The 24-month COLLY project began in January 2026 and has a total budget of €226,000. Coordinated by the University of Montpellier, it aims to deepen our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms by which soft materials deform and yield under external stress, a key phenomenon for both basic science and numerous industrial and natural applications.
A European research project at the intersection of fundamental physics and cutting-edge experimental techniques
Understanding how materials respond to external stress is a major scientific challenge, with implications ranging from materials engineering and industrial processes to the prediction of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, landslides, and avalanches. When the applied stress exceeds a certain threshold, materials can undergo irreversible deformation or yield—a complex behavior known as yielding (or the yield threshold). Despite its ubiquity, this phenomenon remains largely poorly understood, particularly due to the multitude of time and length scales involved.
The COLLY project focuses specifically on soft glasses, a class of materials consisting of concentrated suspensions of colloidal particles. These systems serve as useful models for studying conventional glasses, while offering a major advantage: their high degree of modularity. The interactions between particles and the material’s properties can be finely controlled, making them ideal systems for exploring the microscopic origins of plasticity and the yield point.
Funded by the European Commission through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, COLLY is based on close collaboration between a host institution, a postdoctoral researcher, and a scientific supervisor. The project is based at the Charles Coulomb Laboratory (L2C) at the University of Montpellier and led by Alessandro Martinelli, under the supervision of Professor Luca Cipelletti. It relies on state-of-the-art experimental techniques, combining visible light scattering experiments at L2C with X-ray scattering measurements during short research stays at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. This multi-scale approach allows for the study of the yielding phenomenon, ranging from the dynamics of individual particles to the macroscopic behavior of the material.
Advancing our understanding of yielding and strengthening European scientific excellence
The main objective of the COLLY project is to elucidate the physical mechanisms governing the yield threshold in soft materials by establishing a direct link between the microscopic dynamics of particles and macroscopic mechanical properties. By providing new experimental data across multiple scales, the project aims to contribute to a more predictive understanding of how materials deform and ultimately fail.
Beyond its scientific objectives, COLLY is fully aligned with the goals of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, supporting researchers’ career development, international mobility, and interdisciplinary collaborations. The project also promotes open science practices and the wide dissemination of research results to the scientific community and the general public.
“This project represents a unique opportunity to explore a physical phenomenon that is extremely common in our daily lives but still poorly understood,” notes Alessandro Martinelli. “The use of new colloidal systems and advanced experimental techniques will allow us to gain new insights into particle dynamics at the nanoscale and to better understand how and through what mechanisms a material breaks.”
By hosting the COLLY project, the University of Montpellier reaffirms its commitment to high-level basic research, international cooperation, and the training of tomorrow’s researchers. This project also demonstrates the university’s strong involvement in European research programs and its active contribution to advancing knowledge in the physics of soft matter.
Practical information:
Date: Launch in January 2026
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.