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Clermont Auvergne Métropole orchestrates partnership innovation

The Metropole is banking on innovation to boost economic growth and meet the imperatives of ecological transition on its own scale. The aim? To make the region a playground for innovation, testing and prototyping the goods and services of tomorrow. Clermont Auvergne Métropole stands out for its support of projects requiring risk-taking and the building of original partnerships. In concrete terms, this means funding collective projects, co-financing university thesis grants and public-private collaborations.

When it is not directly involved, Clermont Auvergne Métropole can help set the ecosystem in motion. As a seasoned conductor, it puts future partners in touch with each other, directs project leaders to the appropriate structures, provides information on existing funding and helps you to unlock it. She encourages public-private collaborations and organizes events to multiply meeting opportunities.

Collaborative projects

The Métropole encourages experimentation and supports original partnerships for the emergence of collective projects. The proof is in the pudding.

• The Métropole is supporting the Etos project, set up by a group of local players. The aim is to break down stereotypes and improve educational guidance towards scientific, technological and industrial careers.
  
• Clermont Auvergne Métropole supports the deployment of the national observatory on physical activity and sedentariness(Onaps). The aim is to gain a better understanding of physical activity-related behaviours and combat sedentary lifestyles. The Metropole capitalizes on the exchange of best practices to draw inspiration, evaluate and adapt its public health policy.
  
• Clermont Auvergne Métropole supports the creation of a national pain observatory run by the Analgesia Institute, France’s first foundation dedicated to chronic pain. Suffered for at least three consecutive months, chronic pain has very serious physical, moral and social consequences for sufferers.

Clermont innovation week

The Metropole organizes and supports events to bring the network to life. If there were only one event left? Clermont Innovation Week, held every spring, is a showcase for the very best in local innovation.

www.clermontinnovationweek.eu

A look back at the highlights of previous editions:

Végépolys Valley laid the foundations for the One Health partnership approach. The unifying concept: human health, animal health and environmental health are interconnected. Institutions, industry and research from all three sectors need to work together to find common solutions.

CCI du Puy-de-Dôme Clermont Auvergne Métropole tests a new accelerated training format for companies

Atos tested live applications under development. Relevant user feedback was used to improve interfaces.

The CHU, the Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (Inrae), Vegepolys Valley and Gérontopole Aura organized their first meeting. The aim: to create a joint event focusing on “health solutions” to support ageing well in the metropolis.

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Promoting work with public research

Convinced that the partnerships of tomorrow have yet to be invented, Clermont Auvergne Métropole is breaking down barriers and building bridges between academic research, industry and public services. It has even become a trademark, and with good reason: all stakeholders benefit. Companies draw on research findings to develop an offering compatible with the imperatives of ecological and social transition… and remain competitive! For researchers, it’s an opportunity to study new phenomena and apply their findings.

Of course, traditional boundaries cannot be pushed back at the snap of a finger. Reticence to public-private partnerships exists, and Clermont Auvergne Métropole, as a good mediator of its ecosystem, has several arguments to facilitate collaboration. Shall we show you?

I-site and PUI: two labels for the price of one

Since 2017, the Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA) has been awarded the I-site label for its CAP 20-25 project – Designing new models of sustainable living and production. This state-awarded label enables the university to receive funding to develop excellent research projects in collaboration with companies and local authorities. The aim? Accelerate innovation in fields such as health, agriculture and the environment.

The PUI (Pôle Universitaire d’Innovation) label, awarded in 2023, reaffirms UCA’s commitment to public/private innovation. The government thus recognizes the concrete actions implemented by the university with companies and institutions to put scientific research at the service of local economic development.

Analgesia, Clara, CHU:
innovation for care

Cutting-edge healthcare research has made Clermont Auvergne Métropole its home. Analgesia is France’s leading foundation against pain. It works closely with laboratories at the Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA). Collaborations with researchers enable us to develop new treatments for patients.

The Clara Foundation has made rare cancers its specialty. In partnership with the Metropole, it encourages researchers, doctors and patients to work together to develop appropriate treatments and bring them to market faster.

Clermont Auvergne Métropole’s university hospital center (CHU) is home to 500 researchers dedicated to collaborative research. Their mission? To rapidly transfer scientific discoveries to clinical applications. The CHU thus plays a key role in advancing medical knowledge and improving patient care in the metropolis.

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State of innovation

From the first idea to the realization of a project, and all the way through to market launch, the region has dedicated resources and facilities. These spaces for creativity, innovation and scientific research are also meeting places, conducive to collaboration and knowledge exchange. An inventory of innovation hotspots.

A state-of-the-art university campus

This starts with the 2 university campuses, combining higher education and research, spread throughout the region: talent pools for research laboratories and companies that are recruiting. The Cézeaux campus is home to the Maison de l’innovation, which will become the one-stop shop for all local projects linked to public research.

30 technology platforms and shared laboratories

Around thirty technology platforms in the metropolitan area foster the dynamics between academic research and the business world. Serving public/private innovation, they enable researchers, companies and startups to work together on applied research projects.

The Pavin extreme weather platform is a prime example of this partnership. Highly coveted by automakers, the 50-metre-long, 7-metre-wide tunnel is used to test vehicle sensors in extreme weather conditions. Whether it’s torrential rain, dense fog or persistent frost, researchers are studying the impact on driving assistance systems and proposing solutions to improve them.

Another example: the BioDLab, the result of a partnership between Michelin, CNRS and UCA, is working on the biodegradation of tire wear particles.

PIC, the Parc Cataroux innovation hub

The PIC is due to welcome its first occupants to the heart of the Parc Cataroux in 2025. On site will be premises and equipment adapted to companies and start-ups, mainly in the health, environment and digital sectors.

This new space should facilitate collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs and industrialists, and encourage technology transfer for the benefit of innovative projects.