In 2024, Arts et Métiers six research chairs, with two more expected to be signed in the coming months. What are the advantages of this program? Answers from Sofiane Khelladi (professor and researcher) and Eléanor Fontaine (director of research), with additional insights from Stéphane Desmaison and Bertrand Coulon (AMVALOR).
" A chair is a five-year multi-year contract with one or more manufacturers., explains Eléanor Fontaine. Their themes always focus on real industrial issues: meeting the challenges of virtual worlds and immersive technologies for I perform, mastering high-speed hydromechanical systems for BELISAMA, and optimizing the performance of magnetic levitation systems using scientific machine learning for φML.
Real-life issues of current relevance
" Within a chair, we work on new research topics that benefit society because they address real and current issues., explains Sofiane Khelladi, who set up the ISYTHERM 2 chair with Valéo. Our work will have an impact on electric vehicles that will be marketed in the coming years.
Visibility on financing
Another advantage for the teacher-researcher: " The chair provides five years of financial visibility. This is reassuring, as engineers must be paid and equipment must be financed. In addition, researchers and engineers at the laboratory can take advantage of the equipment provided by Valeo. Finally, having been chosen by This multinational company's sponsorship of a chair is a wonderful recognition of our expertise! "
" The chairs also provide funding for doctoral and postdoctoral students., adds Eléanor Fontaine. Each one gives rise to two or even three theses on real R&D issues, such as those led by Olivier Thomas, thanks to which Valeo received an Automotive News Pace Award in 2022.
Five of the six Arts et Métiers research chairs Arts et Métiers supported by AMValor. " We tested various financial arrangements, and this one proved to be the most flexible and agile. explains Eléanor Fontaine.
Strengthen ties with manufacturers
In most cases, the chairs are established following several research contracts with companies. And the program further strengthens ties with industry. " Meetings are held regularly with Arts et Métiers project leaders, companies, the research department, and AM Valor. As a result, we know each other even better at the end! "
Arts et Métiers therefore Arts et Métiers to further develop this program. " We are particularly interested in calls for proposals for chairs from the ANR (French National Research Agency). The advantage of these is that the agency provides funding equal to that of the industry partner. This effectively doubles the budget for the partners! "
The Arts et Métiers Chairs
- I perform, with Alstom, Chanel, and Pôle Emploi
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Simon Richir
- Created in February 2023
- Theme: Collaborative performance through immersive technologies and virtual worlds
- BELISAMA, with SAFRAN Aircraft Engines
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Farid Bakir
- Established in April 2023
- Theme: Mastering high-speed hydromechanical systems
- Chimera with RTE
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Xavier Kestelyn and Francisco Chinesta
- Established in June 2023
- Theme: Hybridization of physical models through data
- φML with SKF
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Chady Ghnatios
- Established in January 2023
- Theme: Optimizing the performance of magnetic levitation systems through scientific machine learning
- ISYTHERM 2 with Valéo
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Sofiane Khelladi
- Established in November 2023
- Topic: Thermal management of electric batteries for charging time optimization
- Urban mining with ENSCP and Mines Paris
- Arts et Métiers Carrier Arts et Métiers Carole Charbuillet
- Established in February 2014
- Theme: the development and promotion of research activities in the field of recycling and eco-design
AMVALOR: behind the scenes of research chairs
Stéphane Desmaison, Director of AMVALOR, and Bertrand Coulon, Director of Development at AMVALOR and the ARTS Carnot Institute, explain the challenges of such partnerships and their key success factors.
The AMVALOR management team (from right to left: Bertrand Coulon, Stéphane Desmaison, and Valérie Delahaye) surrounded by regional delegates and account managers.
Why is it so important to establish this type of research partnership?
SD: Today, companies need to be part of major medium-term transformations in favor of ecological and energy transition, while also staying at the cutting edge of technology in real time. Our industrial research chairs enable us to satisfy this dual requirement. By partnering with Arts et Métiers laboratories, our industrial partners can plan their innovation roadmap while ensuring immediate and privileged access to our researchers' expertise throughout the duration of the partnership.
For our part, these multi-year agreements are also essential: they enable us to secure our resources and workforce, while building strong and lasting relationships of proximity and trust with our partners.
In short, these are highly structuring projects, both in terms of partnerships and internally.
How do we put this type of partnership into practice?
BC: Trust is built over the long term. A partnership is almost never initiated by signing a research chair agreement. It is usually preceded by numerous scientific exchanges and contracts of various kinds: R&D studies, technological diagnostics, POC implementation, thesis supervision, etc.
One of the challenges with large corporations is providing them with a comprehensive overview of all the relationships they already have with us. Experience shows that they rarely have this consolidated view at their disposal. It is up to us to produce the summary that demonstrates the scientific foundation of our teams across a broad spectrum that often exceeds that identified by the industrial partner in research work.
SD:To transform the mutual desire to work together on topics clearly identified by our researchers and the company into a five-year chair contract, you need to be able to deploy real technical expertise in the negotiations. That's AMVALOR's role: our legal and administrative skills, our agility, and our responsiveness make all the difference. It is up to us to find the best contractual vehicle to secure and finalize the agreement. This also requires a great deal of tenacity and patience...
In your opinion, what distinguishes Arts et Métiers chairs Arts et Métiers eyes of companies?
BC Of course, everything that has made our institution strong and unique for 250 years. But this is only possible thanks to our remarkable ability to mobilize the expertise of all our laboratories for our industrial partners. If a specific issue arises during the chair and requires scientific resources beyond the direct field of expertise of the teams involved in the project, we know how to quickly mobilize these resources within the 15 Arts et Métiers laboratories and, more broadly, the 23 Carnot ARTS laboratories. This further increases the scope of R&D expertise to which all our partners have privileged access. It is the power of this network that makes the difference.
The second point that is unanimously supported by our partners is project governance. A five-year research partnership requires effective management. We know how to set up and maintain monitoring bodies throughout the project that remain very simple and agile, enabling the right decisions to be made at the right level and at the right time, so that opportunities can be seized in a timely manner and any slippage can be avoided. It is thanks to fully controlled co-management with our industrial partners that most of the chairs lead to new projects.
