Innovation Award

Since 2019, the University of Montpellier has been bringing together the leading players in local innovation for an event during which it honors the best innovative initiatives byUM staffUM those of partner institutions in the I-Site Excellence Program (PEI): “The Innovation Award.” An initiative led by the University Innovation Hub.

This initiative, which is part of the objectives of the University Innovation Cluster led by the University of Montpellier, aims to foster the development of new innovation projects within laboratories and maximize their impact.

The award recipients are all from one of the following five research clusters: Agriculture, Environment, Biodiversity (AEB); Biology, Health (BS); Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Systems(MIPS); and Chemistry, Social Sciences (SOC).

Would you like to learn more about the terms and conditions? Check out the related news post.

The "Innovation Award" Winners

2024–2025 Edition

• AEB Award Winner,William ARDITI(SATT AxLR), for theScanorhize Project: a revolutionary underground sensor that allows researchers to visualize root dynamics in the soil without excavation.
• BS Award Winner:Eric KREMER (IGMM:CNRS/ UM) for theCAVisca Project: an innovative genetic approach to treating Dravet syndrome, a disease that causes a severe form of childhood epilepsy.
• Chemistry Award Winner: Gilles SUBRA( IBMM/ICGM/BioWooEb/CTC Group), in collaboration with theSicle.e Industrial Chair, for developing a method of tanning leather using silicic acid, enabling an innovative way to recycle leather waste.
• MIPS Award Winner: Kevin YAUY (Montpellier University Hospital) for theDocSimulator Project: a platform that uses generative AI to train healthcare students using simulated virtual patients, promoting the development of medical and interpersonal skills.
• Winner in the Social Sciences category: Sandrine GRENIER (LiCeM: UM) for theproject “Learning Differently: Law and Film”— a solution that offers a playful, scripted exploration of the law through short and medium-length films, providing a new educational approach to justice.
• Winner of the “Coup de cœur” Award: Magali TAULAN-CADARS (PhyMedExp: UM) for the development of a treatment for cystic fibrosis using an innovative inhaled dual-therapy combining DNA and peptides.
• Winner of the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole“Coup de cœur” Award , Aurélie PERRIN (SATT AxLR): a solution for encapsulating biological agents in natural polymers, designed to replace pesticides in agriculture through a biological strategy involving targeted predatory worms.

2023–2024 Edition

• AEB Award Winner, Frédérique ABERLENC(DIADE: CNRS/ INSERM / UM) for theSEXPALM Project: A device for early sex determination in palm trees.
• BS Award Winner,Sarah COLOMBANI ( PhyMedExp:CNRS/INSERM/ UM) for theOcciCal Therapeutics Project: A preventive treatment capable of halting recurrent diaphragmatic dysfunction in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation.
• Chemistry Winner, Damien VOIRY(IEM :CNRS/ENSCM/UM)fortheC2ET Project: Utilization and Conversion of CO2 into Ethylene.
• MIPS Award Winner Bijan Mohammadi (IMAG:CNRS/UM) with theDeeplomath to Bondzai Project: Applying AI to predictive maintenance and anomaly detection solutions on industrial production lines.
• Winner in the Humanities and Social Sciences category, Isabelle BOURDON ( MRM : UM)fortheCONSENTCHAIN Project: A solution designed to strengthen and streamline the traceability of patient consent in clinical trials.
• Winner of the “Coup de cœur” Award (Social Sciences), Philippe RONDARD ( IGF: CNRS / INSERM / UM): Treatment of brain diseases using immunotherapy.

2022–2023 Edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) award winner, Bastien MERIGOT (MARBEC: CNRS / IRD / IFREMER / UM / INRAE) for the DOLPHINFREE Project: a bio-inspired acoustic beacon designed to reduce incidental dolphin bycatch in fisheries.
• BS (Biology, Health) Award Winner: Alexandre DAVID – Christophe HIRTZ – Eric RIVALS (IGF: CNRS / INSERM / UM) – IRMB: INSERM / UM LIRMM: CNRS / UM INRIA / UPVD / UPVM) with the EpiTransDiag Project: Early cancer diagnosis, patient stratification, and post-treatment monitoring using an epitranscriptomic and machine learning approach.
• Chemistry Prize Winner, Jullien DRONE(ICGM: CNRS / ENSCM/ UM)forthe CaboZym Project: ultra-porous, bio-based carrier materials for efficient biocatalysis.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems)Award Winner, Jimmy TEIXERA ( LMGC: CNRS / UM) for the THOR EYES Project: Design of a 360° stereo-correlation video system easily applicable to measuring deformation movements on the surface of living organisms.
• Winner in the Humanities and Social Sciences category, Guillaume DUMAS, for the JEUdeCOMPTA project: the game that’s a miracle tool for learning accounting.
• Winner of the “Coup de cœur” Award (Social Sciences): Dorian GRÉGOIRE for the INSEPARABLE Project: optimizing and organizing relationships between a patient’s loved ones and intensive care staff using specialized software.

2021–2022 Edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) Award Winner: Magali GIES (Postdoctoral Researcher at CIRAD / UMR QUALISUD) for the PROMET project: A functional food made from fermented, probiotic, plant-based grains with cholesterol-lowering potential due to the addition of phytosterols.
• BS (Biology, Health) Award Winner, Alain THIERRY (Researcher atINSERM / UMR IRCM) for his work on circulating DNA, which has revealed significant potential for clinical applications and innovations in cancer care. This research now makes it possible to determine treatment options, detect residual disease after surgery, monitor for recurrence, and identify treatment resistance.
• Chemistry Prize Winner, Habib BELAID ( Postdoctoral Researcher at the CNRS / UMR IEM) for his work on the synthesis and characterization of biomaterials for healthcare applications, which has led to the development of new formulations of printable composite materials with biocompatible and bioresorbable properties, as well as bioactive and antibacterial properties. Bringing this technology to market will help address a major health challenge in the field of bone tissue engineering in dentistry and oncology.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems) Award Winner, Vincent CREUZE (Professor theUM / UMR LIRMM) for his work on “small” underwater robots weighing less than 100 kg, designed at the LIRMM. These innovations are now used daily by French archaeologists at depths of up to 2,500 meters. Thanks to these innovations, France is currently the leading country in the daily use of robots specialized in underwater archaeology.
• Winner in the Humanities and Social Sciences category, Sophie SPRING (Professor and Researcher at theUM / UMR MRM) for the creationof Incubagame, a free game open to all that aims to explore key issues in entrepreneurship (matching the project to the entrepreneur, market positioning of the offering, legal and financial structuring) while incorporating parameters related to CSR considerations from the project’s development phase onward.

2020–2021 Edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) Award Winner: Claude GRISON ( Researcher at UM CNRS / UMR ChimEco) for her research on ecocatalysis, a key technology in ecology and green industrial chemistry, aimed at generating ecological, economic, and social value based on scientific findings.
• BS (Biology, Health) Award Winner: Franck MOLINA (CNRS / sys2diag) for his work on the development of diagnostic testing methods that do not require a laboratory, and more specifically for his invention of the first SARS-CoV-2 saliva test, EASYCOV.
• Chemistry Prize Winner, Mikhael BECHELANY (CNRS / UMR IEM) for his work on multifunctional inorganic membranes, particularly their applications in the fields of energy, the environment, and health.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems) Award winner Philippe POIGNET (UM UMR LIRMM) for his work in the field of retinal surgery, specifically through the development of a medical device incorporating a robotic assistant for microsurgery. This teleoperated macro-micro robotic platform enables surgeons to perform procedures with greater precision and safety.
• Winners in the Humanities and Social Sciences category: Simon MARESCHAL DE CHARENTENAY (Professor atUMR CERCOP)forhis work on the legal theory and practice of blockchain. Also noteworthy is the development of innovative educational programs in the field of law, notably with the creation of the LegalTech University Diploma.

2018–2019 Edition

• AEB Award Winner (Agronomy, Environment, Health), Jean-Christophe AVARRE ( IRD Researcher / UMR ISEM) for his work on high-resolution DNA melting (High Resolution Melting, HRM), which is based on the principle that two different DNA sequences, and for the development of a completely innovative method that led to a patent and the creation of software.
• BS (Biology, Health) Award Winner: Saïd ASSOU (Research Engineer UM UMR IRMB),forhis work on the design and development of diagnostic tools that bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications in the fields of reproductive biology and regenerative medicine.
• Chemistry Award Winner: Xavier GARRIC (Professor UM UMR IBMM) for his research on the design of new healthcare products based on degradable polymers. An innovation in the field of medical devices for the treatment of mechanical female infertility.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems)Award Winner, David ANDREU (Professor UM / UMR LIRMM) for his work on the design of assistive solutions for human functional impairments resulting, for example, from spinal cord injury. He has contributed to innovations that have resulted in several patents and software registrations.
• Winners in the Humanities and Social Sciences category: Camille CLEMENT (Research Engineer at INRAE / UMR Innovation)fordeveloping a generic tool to support local communities on issues related to access to agricultural land and buildings: FONCIJEU, the agricultural land game.