IMN’s Corporate Relations unit supports companies in their research and innovation projects with the laboratory. These can take different forms, depending on the type of company, its needs and expectations. The team is at your disposal to help you qualify your project, direct it towards the appropriate actions and work out its content together, related to the Service Partenariats Valorisation of the Délégation Régionale (DR17) of the CNRS.
Our partner companies are mainly located in France, but we have also established long-term relationships in Europe and, more broadly, internationally. Strongly rooted in the ecosystem of the Pays de la Loire region, IMN is particularly involved in regional development, thanks in particular to its close links with local industrial players, SMEs, ETIs and major groups.
The most common contractual possibilities are presented below. We are of course open to other forms of partnership that you may propose.
Do you have a project in mind? We’re here to help you find the right solution for your business.
PLASSMAT
Created on January 1, 2023, the Plateforme Ligérienne d’Analyse de la Structure et de la Surface des MATériaux (PLASSMAT) brings together and pools the equipment and technical skills of the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (IMN) to meet the needs of researchers and socio-economic players.
It brings together 27 staff, 58 pieces of equipment and 6 areas of expertise:
- Analysis of the chemical composition of a material
- Material surface analysis
- Knowledge of the physical properties of a material
- Determining the crystalline structure of a material
- Evaluating a battery material or component
- Observation and description of a material on the micro- or nanoscopic scale
Contact: plassmat@cnrs-imn.fr
Joint laboratories
A joint laboratory is a privileged public-private research partnership, involving a solid structure between an academic research laboratory and a company around a shared, co-constructed research and innovation roadmap.
LabCom IMNBlue Lab for sustainable automotive batteries
In 2022, IMN and Blue Solutions formalized the creation of a joint laboratory (LabCom), named IMNBlue Lab. This alliance of skills will optimize the autonomy and lifespan of the all-solid batteries (Lithium Metal Polymer) owned by Blue Solutions. These batteries, which are already 80% recyclable and contain no cobalt, cadmium or nickel, are set to enter the automotive market as early as 2026.
Co-director: Philippe Poizot, philippe.poizot@cnrs-imn.fr
ARMOR Battery: a battery acceleration strategy
The collaboration between IMN and ARMOR group focuses on the development and design of new functionalized current collectors for current and future generations of Li-ion batteries, with the aim of increasing their performance (energy and power density, longevity, safety). This collaboration is a continuation of the DEFIER LabCom between ARMOR and IMN.
Contact: bernard.lestriez@cnrs-imn.fr
Collaborative research projects
A research collaboration contract is a scientific, technical, legal and financial agreement between an academic research laboratory and a company that pool knowledge and resources. The parties’ contribution may take the form of man-hours, acquired expertise, access to equipment, and funding. The aim is to obtain new, mutually enriching and equitably shared results.
Contact us: relations.entreprises@cnrs-imn.fr
Corporate research projects
In response to calls for proposals from regional, national or European agencies, IMN can be your partner and guide you in setting up consortia to respond to these calls. The framework for this response is set by the funding agency. Through calls for projects from regional, national (ANR-National Research Agency, ADEME, etc.) or European agencies, IMN can be your partner and guide you in setting up consortia to respond to these calls. The framework for this response is then set by the funding agency.
We can support you in defining tasks, interactions between partners, industrial property aspects and financing arrangements.
Contact us: relations.entreprises@cnrs-imn.fr
CIFRE theses
The CIFRE scheme – Conventions Industrielles de Formation par la Recherche (Industrial Conventions for Training through Research) – subsidizes any company that recruits a doctoral student (PhD student) to work at the heart of a research collaboration with an academic research laboratory.
Contact us: relations.entreprises@cnrs-imn.fr
Expertise, analysis and testing services
Your requests for expertise on subjects relating to all types of materials, associated devices and applications can be handled by the CAPACITES Materials Expertise team or by the laboratory’s researchers, teacher-researchers and engineers.
The team also draws on IMN’s analytical resources to meet your requests for analysis and testing of all types of materials and surface treatments.
Depending on the services required, IMN’s business unit will direct you to CAPACITES or PLASSMAT.
Industrial collaborations (2020 to 2025)
3CPN, Air Liquide, Airbus Operations SAS, Aperam Alloys Imphy, Arc International, ArcelorMittal France, Arkema, Armines, ARMOR GROUP, Bioret Agri, Blue Solutions, Ceraco Ceramic Coating, Dracula Technologies, ENGIE, Framatome, L’Oréal , Naval Group, One-Sixone, Reinz-Dichtungs-GmbH, Rhodia, Safran, SAFT, Saint-Gobain Recherche, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics France, Société Cartier & Compagnie, Souriau-Sunbank Connection Technologies B, ST Microelectronics SA, Technip France, Tefal, The Valspar, Tokyo Electron Limited, Vito, XSun.
