Applications for society and for companies

IN2P3 puts great emphasis on transferring innovations to society. For example, technologies developed to detect and measure particles are used in the treatment of cancer, particularly in radiotherapy. Techniques related to accelerators and used in radiochemistry are also used to produce radionuclides which are of interest for medical imaging and brachytherapy. Many of the Institute's innovations have contributed to the development of in vivo imaging particularly involving small animals.

IN2P3's expertise in instrumentation and radioactivity measurement means it can be a partner for the nuclear energy sector. This is the case with nuclear facility decommissioning projects, an area in which the Institute can provide, through its 'Becquerel network', objective expertise studies to the various actors involved

The Institute's researchers and engineers disseminate innovation to industry and are regularly consulted to improve the safety and analysis of nuclear sites. They also work in partnership with scientific, civil and associative actors in the fields of nuclear power and the environment. For example, the "Becquerel network" carries out low-level radioactivity measurements for such actors.

A strongly asserted and robust technology transfer policy

The promotion and transfer of research results to the economic and social sphere is an important issue for the Institute, which strongly encourages its personnel to adopt this approach for innovative concepts. Support and implementation are based on a network of technology transfer officers from all the laboratories which is coordinated on a national scale. This ensures robust links with industrial partners while attentive support is given to the creation of start-up companies, joint laboratories and filing patents.

Numerous actors are involved in the innovation process right from the initial identification of a project in a laboratory to putting the resulting technology on the market. CNRS plays a key role in this ecosystem by interacting with all existing structures.

Find out more about CNRS pre-maturation and maturation processes.

Some examples of technology transfer at IN2P3

Pre-maturation projects

• LUXCIFER, the development of a prototype universal neutron detector (Louise STUTTGE and Laurent DOUCE – IPHC, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien).
• MIMAC, feasibility study of the characterisation of a natural lithium deposit using neutron measurement (Nadine Sauzet, Daniel Santos, Véronique Ghetta – LPSC, Laboratoire de physique subatomique et de cosmologie de Grenoble).

Patents

Start-up companies

Joint laboratories (LabComs)

The Institute works on bringing its laboratories and industry together to create close links between joint research teams or laboratories.

Preparatory work is underway for another Labcom joint laboratory: TESMARAC[1] which is a joint project involving Subatech (Laboratoire de physique subatomique et des technologies associées) and Triskem international.