Innovation Award

Since 2019, the University of Montpellier has been bringing together the leading players in local innovation for an event during which it rewards the best innovative initiatives by UM staff and those of the Partner Institutions of the I-Site Program of Excellence (PEI): "The Innovation Award." An initiative led by the University Innovation Cluster.

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

The winners all come from one of the following five research areas: Agriculture, Environment, Biodiversity – AEB, Biology, Health – BS, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Systems– MIPS, Chemistry, Social Sciences – SOC.

Would you like to learn more about the terms and conditions of participation? Please refer to the dedicated news section.

Winners of the "Innovation Award"

2024-2025 edition

• AEB winnerWilliam ARDITI(SATT AxLR) with theScanorhize Project: a revolutionary underground sensor that allows the dynamics of roots in the soil to be visualized without excavation.
• BS winner,Eric KREMER (IGMM:CNRS/UM) with theCAVisca Project: an innovative genetic approach to treating Dravet syndrome, a disease that causes a severe form of childhood epilepsy.
• Chemistry winner, Gilles SUBRA( IBMM/ICGM/BioWooEb/CTC group) with theSicle.e industrial chair, developing a method for tanning leather with silicic acid, enabling innovative recycling of leather waste.
• MIPS winner Kevin YAUY (Montpellier University Hospital) with theDocSimulator Project: a platform using generative AI to train healthcare students via simulated virtual patients, promoting the learning of medical and interpersonal skills.
• Social Sciences winner, Sandrine GRENIER (LiCeM: UM) with theproject "Learning differently: law and cinema": a solution enabling a fun and scripted interpretation of the law through short and medium-length films, offering a new educational approach to justice.
• Winner of the Coup de Coeur Award, Magali TAULAN-CADARS (PhyMedExp:CNRS/INSERM/UM) for developing a treatment for cystic fibrosis using an innovative dual inhalation therapy combining DNA and peptides.
• Winner of the Montpellier Méditerranée MétropoleFavorite Award , Aurélie PERRIN (SATT AxLR): a solution for encapsulating biological agents in natural polymers, intended to replace pesticides in agriculture, using a biological strategy involving targeted predatory worms.

2023–2024 edition

• AEB winner, Frédérique ABERLENC(DIADE: CNRS/ INSERM / UM) with theSEXPALM Project: Device for early sexing of palm trees.
• BS winner,Sarah COLOMBANI ( PhyMedExp:CNRS/INSERM/UM) with theOcciCal Therapeutics Project: Preventive treatment capable of halting recurrent diaphragm dysfunction in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in intensive care.
• Chemistry winner, Damien VOIRY(IEM :CNRS/ENSCM/ UM)withtheC2ET Project: Valorization and conversion of CO2 into ethylene.
• MIPS winner Bijan Mohammadi (IMAG:CNRS/ UM) with theDeeplomath vers Bondzai Project: Bringing AI to predictive maintenance and anomaly detection solutions on industrial production lines.
• Humanities and Social Sciences winner, Isabelle BOURDON ( MRM : UM)withtheCONSENTCHAIN Project: A solution to strengthen and streamline the traceability of patient consent in clinical trials.
• Winner of the Coup de Coeur Award (Social Sciences), Philippe RONDARD ( IGF: CNRS / INSERM / UM): Treatment of brain diseases using immunotherapy.

2022-2023 edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) winner, Bastien MERIGOT (MARBEC: CNRS /IRD /IFREMER /UM/INRAE) with the DOLPHINFREE Project: a bio-inspired acoustic beacon to limit accidental dolphin catches by fishing.
• BS (Biology, Health) 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 follow-up using an epitranscriptomic approach and machine learning.
• Chemistry winner, Jullien DRONE(ICGM: CNRS/ENSCM/UM)withthe CaboZym Project: ultra-porous carrier materials of biological origin for effective biocatalysis.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems)winner Jimmy TEIXERA ( LMGC: CNRS / UM) with the THOR EYES Project: Design of a 360° video-stereo-correlation device that can be easily applied to measuring deformation movements on the surface of living beings.
• Winner in the Humanities and Social Sciences category, Guillaume Dumas with the JEUdeCOMPTA project: the miracle game for learning accounting.
• Winner of the Coup de Coeur Award (Social Sciences), Dorian GRÉGOIRE with the INSEPARABLE Project: optimizing and organizing relationships between a patient's loved ones and intensive care caregivers using specialized software.

2021-2022 edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) winner, Magali GIES (Postdoctoral Researcher at CIRAD/UMR QUALISUD) with the PROMET project: Functional food based on fermented cereals, probiotic, plant-based, with cholesterol-lowering potential thanks to the incorporation of phytosterols.
• BS (Biology, Health) 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, enabling the selection of treatment options, detection of residual disease after surgery, monitoring of recurrence, and detection of treatment resistance.
• Chemistry winner, Habib BELAID ( Postdoctoral researcher at CNRS / UMR IEM) for his work on the synthesis and characterization of biomaterials for healthcare applications, enabling the development of new formulations of printable composite materials with biocompatible and bioresorbable properties, as well as bioactive and antibacterial properties. Its commercialization will address a major health issue in the field of bone tissue engineering in dentistry and oncology.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems) winnerVincent CREUZE (Professor UM/UMR LIRMM) for his work on "small" underwater robots weighing less than 100 kg designed at 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 (lecturer and researcher atUM/UMR MRM) with the design ofIncubagame, a free game open to all, the aim of which is to explore key issues in business creation (suitability of the project for the creator, market positioning of the offer, legal and financial structure) by including parameters related to CSR considerations from the project development phase onwards.

2020-2021 edition

• AEB (Agronomy, Environment, Health) winner Claude GRISON ( Researcher at UM x CNRS / UMR ChimEco) thanks to his research work related to ecocatalysis, an essential technology in ecology and industrial green chemistry, in order to create ecological, economic, and social value from scientific results.
• BS (Biology, Health) winner, Franck MOLINA (CNRS / sys2diag), for his work on the design 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 winner, Mikhael BECHELANY (CNRS / UMR IEM) for his work on multifunctional inorganic membranes and, in particular, their applications in the fields of energy, the environment, and health.
• MIPS (Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Systems) winnerPhilippe POIGNET ( UM/UMR LIRMM) for his work in retinal surgery, specifically a medical device that incorporates an assistance robot for microsurgery. This remote-controlled macro-micro robotic platform enables more precise and safer surgical procedures.
• Humanities and Social Sciences winners: Simon MARESCHAL DE CHARENTENAY (Professor UMR CERCOP)forhis work on the legal theory and practice of blockchain technology. Also noteworthy is the development of innovative teaching methods in the field of law, notably with the creation of the LegalTech University Diploma.

2018-2019 edition

• AEB winner (Agronomy, Environment, Health), Jean-Christophe AVARRE ( IRD / UMR ISEM researcher) for his work on high-resolution DNA melting (HRM), which is based on the principle that two different DNA sequences and the development of a totally innovative method that has led to a patent and the creation of software.
• BS (Biology, Health) winner, Saïd ASSOU (Research Engineer UM/UMR IRMB),thanksto his work based on the design and development of diagnostic tools enabling the transition from fundamental research to clinical applications in the fields of reproductive biology and regenerative medicine.
• Chemistry winner, Xavier GARRIC (Professor / UMR IBMM) for his research into 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)winner David ANDREU (Professor UM/ UMR LIRMM) thanks to his work on designing solutions to compensate 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.
• Humanities and Social Sciences winners, Camille CLEMENT (Research Engineer at INRAE /UMR Innovation)fordeveloping a generic tool to support regions on issues relating to access to agricultural land and buildings: FONCIJEU, the agricultural land game.