The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S: the "Grande Ecole" benchmark in research and innovation partnerships serving industry

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S is partnered with all the CAC 40 companies and over 200 SMEs. It groups together 38 laboratories from 8 Grandes Ecoles in France.

Its activity in research partnerships is focused on 5 socioeconomic issues:

• Energies of the future,
• Natural Resources,
• Materials of the future,
• Smart Systems,
• Innovation methodology.

Boosting the competitiveness of businesses

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S offers businesses a highly specialized and interdisciplinary area of expertise. Its longstanding experience in innovation and technology transfer is available to these businesses. It helps them to be innovative. It supports them in conquering market shares with a high growth potential.

• A tried and tested technology transfer process

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S is capitalizing on the results of its first Carnot Label (2006 - 2010). The results were considered "remarkable", according to the evaluation by the ANR (National Agency for Research) and the rates of transfer to businesses were highlighted:

-           75% of solutions for micro enterprises/SMEs/midcaps correspond to proof-of-concept studies and laboratory demonstrators,

-          20% of solutions for large groups reach the maturity level of "integrated component or system in an operational environment".

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S is part of the innovation support ecosystem by being a stakeholder in 23 competitiveness clusters.

Stakeholder in future investments

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S strengthens its competitive positioning in research partnerships by being a skaeholder in future investments. 

With the Energy of the Future Institut Carnot, it won the call for proposals "Carnot PME" with AVENE-PME, which aims to increase the competitiveness of SMEs, midcaps and micro enterprises in the highly competitive “energies of the future” sector.

It is involved in:

• 4 technological research centers (AESE, Jules Verne, RAILENIUM, SystemX),
• 6 Institutes of excellence in the field of low-carbon energies (IFMAS, INEF4, INDEED, PIVERT),
• 5 Equipex (GENEPI, IVTV, Manutech, MATMECA, Robotech),
• 2 Companies for the acceleration of technological transfers (Midi-Pyrénées, Saclay).

The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S  is continuing to develop its scientific excellence by taking part in 7 'laboratories of excellence' (CaPPA, Chemesyst, CominLab, IMoBS3, Lasips, Manutech, SOLSTICE).

Themes with high-growth potential

The development of new industry sectors requires mastery of all the links in the value chain. In the field of energy, for example, the issues of production, storage, transport, distribution, cost and sustainable development need to be addressed. The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S offers its interdisciplinary approach to innovation. It combines scientific and technological development with new economic and societal models. 

•  Energy, natural resources

Low-carbon energy, biomass, solar panels, wind, hydraulics, hydrogen, energy storage, intelligent networks, mining resources, hydrocarbon.

• Material processing

Composite materials, polymers, biomaterials, shaping, lifecycle, recycling.

• Society and environment

'Green' industry, eco-construction, sustainable transport, biomedical & pharmaceutical engineering, risk & crisis management.

• Complex intelligent systems

Modeling, computer simulation, control, learning, vision, satellite sensors.

• Innovation methodologies

New business models, economics in an uncertain environment, CK theory, design & manufacturing.

Local businesses

 The Institut Carnot M.I.N.E.S is structuring cross-thematic research at national level. It has strong territorial cohesion spread across Schools' various sites and they are already working with businesses in 19 out of the 22 regions in France.