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Inria & SMEs
The I-Labs system boosts technology transfers to SMEs
In order to boost technology transfers to SMEs and SMIs, Inria has established the I-Labs system. The idea is to bring together an Inria project team and a partner SME in a joint laboratory. The two entities define a joint, specific work program lasting two to three years. Incentives are given by Inria to the project team involved, while the SME can receive government assistance to finance its research project (particularly the research tax credit).
Ultimately, the innovation capacity of these SMEs must be reinforced, with an increase in their R&D recruitments and technology transfers.
Idées-3com & the MINT project team
Idées-3com is a Lille-based company, created in 2006, specializing in real-time 3D business applications for online marketing and distance training. It currently employs around twenty people. An I-Lab between Idées-3Com and the MINT project team of Inria (also teaming up CNRS and Université de Lille 1) is currently formalized around a scientific program focusing on two topics: interaction and immersion in commercial and native 3D virtual universes in Web browsers. The balance of collaboration is based on a commitment by each partner in terms of human resources: "CIFRE" PhD students and engineers for Idées-3com, an innovation transfer engineer for Inria, and permanent researchers for CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) and Université de Lille 1.
SETH/NUMTECH & the CLIME project team
The collaboration between the CLIME project team of Inria and SETH/NUMTECH focuses on meteorology and air quality and covers several topics: assimilation in atmospheric dispersion, overall forecasts, scale reduction, uncertainties, and statistical methods. SETH is a consortium grouping together five SMEs, with Numtech as the lead. This is an SME of 24 people positioned on atmospheric dispersion, monitoring, and prediction of air quality. This I-Lab allows the CLIME team to strengthen its models with field situations and the SMEs to advance more quickly in the solutions offered to clients, particularly by reinforcing the group's innovation dynamic and thus maintain a competitive advantage abroad in particular.
Distene and the GAMMA 3 project team
The Meshing Lab joint laboratory between the GAMMA 3 project team of Inria and Distene focuses on the development of messing generation software components for CAD, particularly volume meshings from arbitrary geometries, high-performance meshings, automatic meshings for fluid mechanics, and hexahedral automatic meshings. Distene is an SME with eleven people, positioned on the CAD application developer market with a comprehensive offering of meshing software components. This joint laboratory allows GAMMA 3 to apply its field of research on key topics ; for Distene, the Meshing Lab allows it to strengthen its position on its historical market in the face of strong competition and anticipate market changes or even attack new segments.
Artefacto & the LAGADIC project team
Today, Artefacto is a recognized player in the field of augmented reality in the sectors of urban planning and industry (construction and transport). Through the I-Lab, the SME will pair up with the LAGADIC research team. The augmented reality solution developed as part of the I-Lab will be integrated into Artefacto's entire range of augmented reality products. This I-Lab will also round out the solutions developed in the SUSTAINS project of the Advancity cluster, selected as part of the FUI 10 projects. The Sustains project is a decision-making tool for urban planning and selection of energy systems. This tool must make it possible to understand the complexity of urban models (residential, industrial, public services) in its social, economic, energy, mobility, and sustainability dimensions. The integration, visualization, and manipulation of these dimensions in an operational computerized platform of the city aim to replace the various players (elected officials, financiers, non-trading company) within the decision-making process. Ultimately, Artefacto will be able to offer a representation of the city by integrating assumptions on the development choices, with the management of energy, water, air, and waste. This solution will integrate the expertise of other SMEs like Artelys for the management of energy and the expertise developed around the I-Lab between the SETH/NUMTECH group and the CLIME team on air quality.
Keywords: I-Labs SME Technology transfer
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