Seven talents from the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation de Montpellier honored at i-Lab competitions, including 2 grand prizes and an i-PhD 2025.
The University of Montpellier and SATT AxLR, founding members of the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI), once again distinguished themselves on the national stage at the i-Lab and i-PhD 2025 competition ceremonies held in Paris on Tuesday, October 14. Seven winners of the i-Lab competition and one winner of the i-PhD competition, from the Montpellier PUI, were honored, two of them with a grand prize. This illustrates the collective momentum generated by the University of Montpellier's Initium incubator and SATT AxLR. These results testify to the effectiveness of the PUI's co-accompaniment program, dedicated to the maturation, valorization and creation of high-potential innovative companies, for a total investment of over 3.7 million euros.
Seven i-Lab award-winning projects driving innovation and impact
The i-Lab innovation competition, part of the France 2030 plan and operated by Bpifrance, aims to identify and support the best projects for the creation of innovative technology companies. Each winner can benefit from support and financial assistance of up to €600,000. This year's projects from the Montpellier PUI stand out for the diversity of their fields of application, from healthcare and agriculture to the ecological transition and artificial intelligence:
i-Lab Grand Prix :
- Dolinnov: biotech company developing innovative, non-addictive solutions for chronic neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Laboratory: Montpellier Neuroscience Institute (INM).
- Terratis: a company using the sterile insect technique (SIT) to reduce the population of tiger mosquitoes and other insect pests. Laboratory: MIVEGEC.
i-Lab competition winners :
- Deep Pulse Neuro: minimally invasive endovascular deep brain exploration device for epilepsy patients. Laboratory: Montpellier University Hospital.
- Nomos: process for refining organic effluents (digestates, slurry, urine) to produce a stable, odorless liquid fertilizer suitable for fertigation and organic farming. Laboratory: Institut Européen des MembranesIEM).
- SPIMA Therapeutics: company exploiting peptide science to target new therapeutic pathways in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases Laboratory: Institut de Médecine Régénératrice et de Biothérapie (IRMB).
- Tellus AI (Celest Science): predictive artificial intelligence solution for assessing climate risks and flood conditions, designed for the finance and insurance sectors. Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE)
- Sitera pharmaceuticals : development of an innovative therapeutic strategy targeting Wolfram syndrome and other associated pathologies. Laboratory: UMR Molecular Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Dementia (MMDN).
At the same time, IES researcher David Sanchez's QVD (Quartz for Virus Detection) project, aimed at creating a portable, ultrasensitive and multi-selective early virus detection device, also won a prize in the i-PhD competition, dedicated to entrepreneurship among doctoral students and young PhDs. This scheme, which precedes i-Lab and i-Nov, aims to encourage the creation of start-ups from research laboratories and to support the transition between academic research and industrial development.
The Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation de Montpellier: a network of players united to transform research into innovation
The Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation de Montpellier (PUI) plays a structuring role in the region's innovation ecosystem. It brings together the main players in the field of technology transfer and incubation: Initium, SATT AxLR, BIC Montpellier, Agrovallée, l'Extracteur des CHU, Inserm Transfer and CNRS Innovation. This network organization enables us to provide coherent, ongoing support, from the ideation stage through to the launch of a project. from technological maturation to company creation.
For the 2025 edition of the i-Lab and i-PhD competitions, project leaders supported by the region's incubators have benefited from increased support:
- thorough review of application files,
- oral preparation sessions,
- individualized support provided by a specialized firm (10 projects).
These coordinated actions, financed by the Montpellier PUI, helped to refine the projects' strategy and maximize their impact with the national jury. A tripartite committee (Initium, BIC Montpellier, SATT AxLR) identified around ten promising projects for specific support.
A model of regional cooperation and a lever for attracting research talent to the Montpellier region
In 2025, the collaborative dynamic between PUI structures was consolidated with the signing of a tripartite agreement between the University of Montpellier, SATT AxLR and Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.
This agreement aims to streamline the support process for innovative projects, through :
- the pooling of support services for business start-ups,
- setting up shared portfolio reviews between incubators,
- greater coordination around the needs of project leaders.
The common objective: to accelerate technology transfer to the market, support the creation of innovative start-ups and enhance the attractiveness of the Montpellier site on a national and international level. The success of the 2025 laureates fully illustrates the complementary nature of the PUI's players and the relevance of its support model, combining scientific expertise, support for technology transfer and entrepreneurial support.
Practical information:
- Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 in Paris
- More info PUI
- More information SATT AxLR