Four Carnot Institutes launch Extra&Co to help develop the Extractive and Primary Processing Industries (IEPT)
The Carnot Institutes, technology-based growth centres
The Carnot Institutes are public research bodies, certified by the Ministry responsible for research after a highly selective application process. Each Carnot Institute makes a strong commitment to develop its research activities through partnership: i.e. the R&D (Research & Development) work of its laboratories in relation to innovation in companies – from SMEs to major groups. The objective of the scheme is to increase the economic impact of the Carnot Institutes on the companies concerned in terms of job creation, national and international turnover and, consequently, competitiveness.
Organised in a network to capitalise on synergies and in permanent contact with companies, the Carnot Institutes are proactive in needs-orientated scientific revitalisation. They offer a wide spectrum of skills enabling them to anticipate and to respond professionally – in all phases of the partnership – to companies’ Research & Innovation needs in the majority of economic sectors.
With no fewer than 27,000 research professionals, the Carnot Institutes carry out 55% of the R&D contracts outsourced by companies to the public research sector with only 15% of its human resources.
The Carnot Institutes are recognised for their central role in France’s industrial recovery:
- sustained growth in research contracts financed by companies: a 52% increase in the value of research contracts in partnership with companies between 2010 and 2014 with a specific effort in respect of SMEs,
- their industrial partners entrust them with 1.3 M€ of research work every day,
- research partnerships with more than 2,000 companies every year including 900 SMEs,
- 2,600 young PhD graduates every year, trained in the cutting-edge skills that industry needs,
- good geographical distribution with institutes present in the regions, as near as possible to companies involved in Research & Innovation.
For more information: www.instituts-carnot.eu
“Carnot Industry” programmes
The Carnot Institutes that are heavily involved in one industry form a group to make it easier for companies - SMEs and Middle Market – to access their skills and technological facilities.
For each programme, the objectives of the Carnot Institutes’ coordinated approach are:
- to enable companies to benefit from an easily-understandable, well-structured partnership and knowledge and technology transfer, enriched by an industry-specific R&D needs analysis,
- to go and meet companies in order to better identify their needs relative to market expectations,
- to accompany companies’ innovation programmes and facilitate their access to technological platforms.
This structuration into economic sectors has been carried out to better meet the needs of SME – Middle Market Companies and to increase the Carnot Institutes’ impact on companies’ innovation and competitiveness.
The Carnot Industry programmes are also supported by the “Future Investments” Programme “Promotion of the Carnot Institutes” run by the French National Research Agency.
Extra&Co, the fruit of a marriage between four Carnot Institutes
The “Carnot Industry” programme Extra&Co, designed to last for six years, is run by a consortium of four Carnot Institutes (ISIFoR, BRGM, ICEEL and M.I.N.E.S) covering the whole value chain of the mineral resources (metallic and non-metallic) sector and bedrock energy resources. It is coordinated by the ISIFoR Carnot Institute and its objective is to contribute to the development of the extraction and primary processing industries (IEPT).
The objective of Extra&Co is to organise, propose and manage an offer of R&D-related services to accompany the growth of very small to middle-market companies in the industry’s key markets.Three major areas of innovation are targeted: exploration, extraction-exploitation and control of environmental impact.
In order to achieve this, Extra&Co’s roadmap is clear:
- identify the needs and expectations of the industry’s SMEs and middle-market companies,
- draw up a strategy aiming to deploy a structured, coordinated offer,
- develop and organise access to technological infrastructure (36 platforms have already been identified in the consortium’s four Institutes),
- develop R&D projects, including those to be carried out in collaboration with very small, small and middle market companies.
This programme also aims to organise and build up a network of competitiveness clusters, technical centres, professional organisations, etc. that will complete its offer of services.
In order to reach these objectives, Extra&Co – apart from a committee-based governance system – has a seven-person dedicated operational team of whom four are project officers covering the whole of France.
Contact: Virginie BUIL, virginie.buil @ univ-pau.fr
