Grenoble : plans for the future in Research and Education

Grenoble : plans for the future

in Research and Education

UNIVERSITÉ GRENOBLE ALPES

20Laboratories of Excellence The French government launched in 2011 and 2012 a serie of calls

to fund within a framework called “Investissements d’avenir”

(Investments in the Future). The Laboratories of Excellence

(Labexes) programme, is one of the most prestigious components

of this framework. Thanks to this initiative, research laboratories

have access to funding, particularly for recruitment or keeping

top-level scientists or those with great potential in France, improving

and operating equipment enabling them to strengthen their

scientific excellence and international ranking, as well as setting

up innovative educational projects.

37 ERC

Grenoble currently hosts 37 European Research Council

(ERC) grant holders. The UJF’s policy is to support and

guide researchers looking to initiate projects. The ERC

grants, which are highly competitive, are allocated to

outstanding researchers capable for conducting inno-

vative, high-risk projects that will open up new oppor-

tunities in their scientific field. The amount of the grants

can reach up to 2.5 million euros over a period of five

years.

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19 Infrastructures of Excellence The “Investissements d’avenir” (investments in the future) programme

funds Infrastructures of Excellence (Equipexes). Thirteen such Equipexes

for a global amount of 115,6 millions euros are funded in Grenoble.

60 000students

15 400 of them are UJF students. 23% of these are enrolled in

science and technology, 30% in healthcare courses, 10% in the

sciences and techniques of physical and sports activities, 4% in

humanities and social sciences and 3% in “access to university”

degrees (DAEUs), university diplomas (DUs) or international

exchange programmes.

50 laboratories, 2500 researchers and research professors 3850 doctorantsUniversity Joseph Fourier’s Areas of Research of Excellence cover:l Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology and Sciencesl Physics, Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materialsl Universe, Earth and Environmental Sciencesl Mechanics and Engineeringl Chemistry, Biology and Healthl Human Sciences

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Table of contentsChemistry and life sciences......................................................................................................................ARCANE ...............................................................................................................................................................GRAL .....................................................................................................................................................................

Digital sciences and technologies .......................................................................................................AMIES ...................................................................................................................................................................MINOS Lab ...........................................................................................................................................................PERSYVAL-lab .....................................................................................................................................................CAMI .....................................................................................................................................................................Three questions for Christian Jutten, ERC 2012 ..........................................................................................Three questions for Gérard Besson, ERC 2012 .............................................................................................Three questions for David Monniaux, ERC 2012 .........................................................................................

Nanosciences, innovative materials and eco-responsible engineering ............................LANEF ...................................................................................................................................................................TEC 21 ..................................................................................................................................................................SERENADE .............................................................. ............................................................................................Three questions for Jean-Louis Barrat, ERC 2011 ........................................................................................

Earth sciences, astronomy and astrophysics ........................................................................OSUG@2020 ........................................................................................................................................................FOCUS ..................................................................................................................................................................ENIGMASS ...........................................................................................................................................................Three questions for Michel Campillo, ERC 2008 .........................................................................................Three questions for Guillaume Dubus, ERC 2007 .......................................................................................

Innovation for territories and the environment .................................................................ITEM ......................................................................................................................................................................

Higher education training programmes of excellence: ENEPS, AVOSTTI and FINMINA ...............................................................................................

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Building the University of Grenoble Alps

For this rst volume on Université Joseph Fourier’s research and education plans for thefuture, the

political board wanted to do something more than a simple annual review of achievements. We

put our research and education activities in perspective, in the context of what our future will be

– the University of Grenoble Alps.

This volume also has the pedagogical goal of explaining as simply as possible the innovations that we

all strive to promote every day. From Toxoplasma gondii infection to X-ray absorption spectroscopy,

not forgetting the structure of innite spaces, these various scientic research topics will undoubtedly

no longer hold any secrets for you and I.

This volume also puts in the spotlight six brilliant researchers from our university who have been

awarded European Research Council grants. This reects the excellent vitality of our research, upon

which we should build the University of Grenoble Alps, to make it even more visible internationaly.

In fact, our site has all the necessary qualities to compete with the top world universities. Lastly,

pedagogical innovation is our priority; especially to ensure equal access to university and success

for everyone, while striving for excellence and international visibility.

Together, we can and should feel proud of our university’s achievements and be condent in our

plans for the site’s development.

Patrick Lévy,

President of Université Joseph Fourier

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Strengthening interdisciplinarityto stimulate innovation

Yassine Lakhnech, Vice-President of Research and Innovation at Université Joseph Fourier, explains the site’sstrategy to develop research setting it on a long-term path to excellence.

What are the current strengths of Université Joseph Fourier in terms of research?

Yassine Lakhnech : UJF benefits from an exceptional scientific environment where major international researchinstruments (ILL, ESRF, EMBL) and national research organisations (CNRS, CEA, INRIA, INSERM... ) coexist along withuniversities and engineering schools (UJF, Grenoble INP, UPMF, Stendhal, Savoy, IEP). All our research laboratories areshared with some of these important local, national or international institutions. Within this stimulating environment,we closely collaborate with our partners and this collaboration has increased in intensity with many initiatives aimedat supporting the emergence of excellence – Operation Campus, the Carnot Institute, State-Region Planning Contracts,Investments for the Future programmes, structuring of research at the Université Grenoble Alpes, etc. Our main AreasResearch of Excellence are Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology and Sciences, Physics,Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials, Universe, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mechanicsand engineering, Chemistry, Biology and Health and the fields of Human Sciences where we are active such asgeography and sports sciences.

What is the UJF’s strategy in terms of achieving ever-increasing excellence?

Y. L. Université Joseph Fourier’s research strategy reflects its core commitments to ideas, foundational and appliedresearch, technological innovation, collaboration and partnership, openness and diversity, and social engagement inresearch. As a result of its dedication to advance science, technology and healthcare and to address major societalchallenges, UJF’s research strategy aims at unlocking the potential of inter- and cross-disciplinary research,advancing knowledge of the foundations and applications and attracting the best researchers.

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How will you ensure the implementation of this strategy?

Y. L.We have an ambitious employment policy aimed at attracting young and experienced researchers who want todevelop innovative research in this unique environment. We are also supporting fundamental as well as appliedresearch in a balanced manner focussing on cutting edge societal challenges. Multi- and interdisciplinary research isa priority but we believe that it should be built upon disciplinary research of highest level. This has motivatedUniversité Joseph Fourier to structure its research into multidisciplinary clusters. We want to strengthen interdisci-plinarity to tackle new scientific challenges associated with society’s changing needs. Through cooperation betweenthe disciplines and the demand for excellence on which this is built, we are able to produce concepts, methodologiesand innovative solutions. When you look at the societal challenges of our century, you can see how vital it is todaythat we develop intersecting areas of focus, such as healthcare with digital sciences, engineering and social sciences.

The future University of Grenoble Alps will also be a means to develop interdisciplinarity…

Y. L. Indeed, this will constitute one of its strengths. The research clusters provide the first level of interdisciplinarity.Grenoble Alps University will allow us to set up projects involving social and human sciences on one hand and technologyon the other hand. It gives us the opportunity to push the boundaries of interdisciplinarity.

Will the Labexes have a particular role to play for the future?

Y. L.UJF is involved in twenty Labexes. These projectshave been evaluated with respect to the interna-tional standards of excellence. The innovationsthey are developing are completely in line withthe current needs of our society in the fields ofenergy, environment, healthcare, green chemistry,globalisation and the digital society, for instance.They are making a significant contribution to thedevelopment of excellence of Grenoble andenhancing its visibility and appeal on the inter-national stage.

The following broad objectives have been identified:l To unlock the potential of inter- and cross-disciplinary research,l To examine fundamental questions about the natural environment, space, and the universe,l To capitalize on the convergence of life sciences, engineering and ICT to support health research,l To support interdisciplinary, basic, translational and clinical research in order to improve delivery of care,l To advance the foundations and applications of sustainable chemistry and engineering and biotechnology, l To push back the frontier of knowledge and applications of science and technology in the Digital Era,l To support disruptive research in nanosciences, nanotechnology and advanced materials and their applications,l To strengthen public policy and organizations, and create a deeper understanding of social transformation,l To advance knowledge of the foundations and applications.

UJF strategy and objectives

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CHEMISTRYAND LIFESCIENCES

From inventing new generations ofdrugs to designing innovative vac-cines, developing green chemistry ormanufacturing biofuels, Grenoble hasfive Laboratories of Excellence in thefield of chemistry and life sciences. Eachone has its own method of operatingin terms of taking research forward.Whether it is by building networks oflaboratories to facilitate collaborationbetween researchers or developinginnovative devices for medical imagingor radiology, these Labexes representgreat hope for the future.

Create innovative synthetic vaccines, new diagnostic systems , newcatalysts. Today, chemistry must meet two crucial challenges:shaping the future of chemistry without fossil fuels and integratingknowledge from molecular biology when designing moreefficient bio-targeted molecular systems.

Inspired by the livingThe "bio-driven" chemistry is inspired from the functioning of livingorganisms or uses biological molecules to design innovative molecularsystems and to develop new applications in therapeutic , environmentaland energy fields. For example , researchers aim at reproducing naturalphotosynthesis to develop new solutions for the production of energycarrier.

Targeting the livingFrom a multidisciplinary approach, the "bio- driven" chemistry of ARCANEaims to miniaturize devices to study living organisms, deciphering theinterface and biocompatibility between living beings and creatingnano-objects inspired by their living counterparts. A key point is thecombination of recognition and biological properties of nano-sizedbioconjugates with modern synthetic strategies for applications in variousdomains, as targeted molecular imaging , molecular therapy or syntheticvaccines.

Potential applications include the activation of small molecules ( CO2capture and valorisation, catalytic hydrogen production for applicationin fuel cells , for example) up to health applications (development ofnew drugs, new vaccines, new diagnostic tools ).

ARCANE: a bio-inspired and bio- targeted chemistry

GRAL biologists are experts in the physical and atomic study of

proteins. The time has come for them to investigate the activity

of these proteins inside the cell, the smallest living entity in our

bodies – here begins the quest of this Labex.

Viewing at the cellular levelResearchers are focused on two very different subjects that nonethelesscome together for the technical and technological development requiredfor their study – virus/bacteria interaction and the chloroplasts behind allsources of energy which lend their green colour to plants. While it is possibleto observe biological molecules at an atomic resolution, scientists todaylack the technology to widen this view to the dynamics of the cell itself.Imagine that a researcher had the tools to study an isolated individual, but

no way of knowing his movements in the town or his interactions withfriends, colleagues and neighbours each day of the week.

Progress for healthcare and green biotechnologyMuch like a human being, a cell is born, grows old and dies. Bacteria interactwith it. GRAL’s challenge is to look in detail at what happens at this intermediate,extremely complex level. A better understanding of cellular mechanismswill lead to the development of new treatments, while a solid understandingof how chloroplasts function will facilitate the manufacture of biofuels. Thispure research project will thus foster new techniques and machines thatwill be commercially developed through patents and the creation of businesses.With its dedicated team, the Labex has opted for an ambitious commercialdevelopment strategy aimed at creating at least five start-ups, strengtheningconnections with industry and 50% more licences.

GRAL: diving into the world of cells

Alomic structure of an adenoviral protein

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Scales Atomic Nanometric Micrometric

CrystallographyMeans Electron microscopy Light microscopy Imagery

Micrography of purified adenovirus Human cell infected with adenovirus (in yellowand green)

Biodistribution of adenovi-rus in an infected mouse(from red to blue)

On an idea of Pascal Fender UVHIThanks to : optimal platform of IAB

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The goal of this Labex is to create a national alliance capable oflong-term coordination of clinical activities and research intoparasitic infections. France is characterised by a long tradition ofacademic research into parasitology and is responsible formultiple major discoveries in this field.

However, with no common policy until now between laboratories workingon parasitic diseases, such as malaria, sleeping sickness and toxoplasmosis,ParaFrap is here to remedy the situation. Beyond this national network, theLabex encourages collaboration with laboratories in highly endemic areasof Africa, Latin America and India to promote field studies.

ParaFrap: a network to protect against parasitic infections

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A human cell parasitised by human pathogenic toxoplasma gondii.

PRIMES is developing new methods of examination, diagnosisand therapy for cancer and aging-associated pathologies. Noless than sixteen laboratories within this Labex contribute tothe development of innovative concepts and devices formedical imaging and image processing, radiobiology andradiotherapy.

In Grenoble, researchers use the European Synchrotron Radiation Facilityto develop new methods. For example, they are working on imagingmicrofluorescence with X-rays, which is used to analyse trace metals inthe brain and study their connection to degenerative diseases. Anotherteam is devoted to a detector project for radiotherapy safety using theintensity-modulated radiation therapy technique (IMRT), which makes itpossible to deliver the prescribed dose more accurately to the tumor whilelimiting exposure of healthy tissue. http://primes.universite-lyon.fr

PRIMES: cutting-edge techniques in the fight against cancer anddegenerative diseases

In an effort to develop other drugs for pain, epilepsy, cancer, cysticfibrosis and certain kidney diseases, the ICST Labex focuses on theion propagation process in cell membranes.

This national network comprising five research units, including two in Grenoble,thus hopes to validate new therapeutic targets. The education component of theLabex consists of an International Master’s level course and an internationaldoctorate programme, both aimed at training young scientists in research intoion channels, a field that is not yet well covered. www.labex-icst.fr/fr

ICST Labex: working towards a new generation of drugs

The goal of the ThomX project is to generate a perfectly pure, calibrated X-ray beam within the energy range of 30-100 keV that can be fully modelled tocontrol its impact with the material. This is currently possible using a synchrotron such as the ESRF, but at a circumference of 844 metres, the machine isnot suited to all applications, particularly healthcare. ThomX is dedicated to developing compact machines that could be positioned where users needthem – hospitals, museums or research institutes. UJF is involved in a medical application for these monochromatic X-rays, namely for imaging andradiotherapy. It is this use that the Synchrotron Radiation and Medical Research Team at the Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience (GIN) must test. Deliveryis expected in 2015-2016.

ThomX Equipex: an accelerator suited to healthcare

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DIGITALSCIENCES ANDTECHNOLOGIES

Grenoble is heavily committed to fiveLaboratories of Excellence conductingresearch and projects in the field ofdigital sciences and technologies. Theirassignments are varied and highlyambitious, ranging from improvingperformance in microelectronics tobuilding physical-digital systems,transforming the image of mathematicsand mathematicians among studentsand businesses, enhancing training forsurgeons faced with new computer-assisted medical intervention techno-logies and designing software toenable major advances in terms oftargeted therapies.

At the heart of designing an intelligent product lie algorithms.Behind the management of a forest are models. From informationtechnology to biology, the environment and energy, modellingproblems are behind all of these fields. While mathematics iseverywhere, in people’s minds this science is not an everydayoperational tool. AMIES has taken it upon itself to change theimage of mathematics, particularly among businesses, byencouraging interaction with researchers and students.

Regional correspondentsThis national network unites all mathematics laboratories and interactswith equivalent initiatives abroad, as well as national funding agenciesand local communities. It relies on regional correspondents, who act asbridges within the universities and facilitate contact between researchersand industrialists. Some companies need mathematics to develop aproduct, but do not identify this need. The Labex works to informbusinesses and regional mediation structures, such as competitivenessclusters and Chambers of Commerce, of the resources available atmathematics laboratories. Improving their visibility in France in thisway will make it possible in the future to increase industrial collaboration.

Maths Employment ForumAMIES also funds exploratory projects between laboratories and industryand prompts meetings between mathematicians, students and businessesin the form of modelling weeks to raise awareness among students andprofessors regarding business employment. For two years, it has beenco-organising a Mathematics Employment Forum with two learnedsocieties (SMAI and SFdS) to showcase the diversity of job prospects inmaths and offer students the possibility to meet their future recruiters.

These initiatives also highlight the methodological and scientific rigourbehind each mathematical approach and the multidisciplinary culture ofthis science, which remains more than ever at the crossroads of all fields.

www.agence-maths-entreprises.fr

AMIES: mathematics in its uses

For thirty years, Grenoble has been a global stronghold formicroelectronics. This excellence rests on university appliedresearch laboratories laying the groundwork for the future,pre-industrial R&D responsible for developing conceptsand, lastly, a variety of businesses to handle the productionand marketing of the tools developed.

Miniaturisation and performanceMINOS Lab’s goal is to strengthen each of these different stages. The

research programme at the Labex is structured around three strategic

themes – reducing the size of FD-SOI transistors from 22 nm to at least

11 nm, integrating new materials into these transistors and developing

new embedded memory technologies. The miniaturisation of electronic

devices found in all multimedia equipment, such as telephones, cameras

and games consoles, will make it possible to improve their performance.

These new technologies should also lead to real breakthroughs in the fields

of imaging and medical diagnosis.

As close to industry as possibleThe Minos Lab researchers are working on the same equipment as

industrialists, resulting in high-level upstream research closely connected

to industrial applications. This nanoelectronics project will facilitate

the transfer of know-how and innovations to major French groups like

ST Microelectronics while stimulating R&D activity among equipment

manufacturers. It carries major importance, particularly for the Grenoble

area where nanoelectronics represents 26,000 jobs.

MINOS Lab: ever increasing competitiveness for micro and nanoelectronics

Cryptanalysis, GPS positioning error correction, these are examples of the use of mathematics inapplications with strong technological issues.©(Dassault Aviation, DGA, Helileo, Ecole Polytechnique, Université Joseph Fourier and Universitéde Toulouse)

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Software science is at the heart of the physical-digital systemsbeing built by the Labex. Mastering the design andcontrol of new computer systems combining “intelligent”interconnected devices and interactive virtual objects forthe progress of humanity is the core challenge tackled byPERSYVAL-lab. The Labex unites ten Grenoble laboratoriescovering a broad spectrum of digital sciences, frominformation technology to signal processing, machinearchitecture, automation and mathematics.

Scientific challengesPERSYVAL-lab faces four challenges for the construction of a newgeneration of physical-digital systems, from designing the “basic”infrastructure (hardware architectures, sensor networks, embeddedsoftware, etc.) to “rummaging” through exchanged data flows to extract

relevant information, finding a new approach to augmented realityfor virtual-real interactions that are both richer and more easily rolledout and, lastly, developing modelling and simulation using the mostadvanced optimisation and computing techniques. The applicationsare aimed at major societal challenges, such as smart homes, energymanagement and medicine.

When real meets virtualThe convergence of the physical and digital worlds consists, for example,of plunging humans deep into a virtual environment that enhancesreality, so that they might perceive situations and act on real objectsremotely. In order to do so, physical objects must be fitted with sensors,virtual objects must be created and equipped with actuators engagingwith the real world, the broadcast of data flows must be made possiblebetween physical-digital objects and their interaction with humansand their control must be facilitated. With such a system, a surgeon canoperate on a patient who is unfit for transport on the other side of theworld. https://persyval-lab.org

PERSYVAL-lab: the convergence of the physical and digitalworlds

Pioneers in computer-assisted medicalinterventions (CAMIs), a technique thatthey have been developing for twenty-five years, Grenoble researchers aremoving up a gear with the CAMI Labex,which unites six Joint Research Units(UMRs) from universities, the CNRS andthe INSERM – Brest, Grenoble, Mont-pellier, Paris, Rennes and Strasbourg.The goal of this alliance is to cooperatewith clinicians and industrialists tooffer medically useful, economicallyviable and widely distributable innova-tions.

Inserting a screw into a vertebraHow can we use guided medical imaging topush the boundaries of surgery? The CAMIteam was formed in 1984 to answer this question

with the idea of combining science, medicine and industry. Hundreds ofthousands of patients have already benefited from these types of treatment.While the initial applications were specific, such as inserting a screw into avertebra along the correct axis or obtaining perfect alignment for a prostheticknee, they have since become more universal, with neurosurgery, urology,radiotherapy, interventional radiology and many other specialities allcurrently using CAMIs.

Strong industrial rootsThe Labex has defined five research avenues that will offer surgeons bettertraining, help them see beyond what is visible, assist them in making vitaldecisions, give them access to increased dexterity and help demonstrate

the medical service rendered. In addition to developing new educationalor continuing training courses for doctors, science students and engineers,the Labex itself also focuses on learning and is working on new teachingmethods using augmented reality and modelling. Drawing on its strongroots in the world of industry, the Labex is determined to sustain thismomentum, increasing patents, creating start-ups or conducting industrialtransfers in order to develop viable solutions to make healthcare moreaccessible. http://cami-labex.fr

CAMI: pushing the boundaries of surgery

The transfer of biomechanical simulation (on the left) generating theswelling of a muscle to a new character (on the right).© IMAGINE (INRIA /LJK-CNRS)

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ECCAMI/ ©P. Avavian

ECCAMI/ ©P. Avavian

TOUCAN: working towards gene therapy

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Moving from ready-made to tailor-made in terms of preventionand drugs, TOUCAN’s objective is ambitious.

Backed by the French Foundation for Cancer Research and TherapeuticInnovation (RITC), the Labex is developing targeted therapiescapable of reaching cancerous cells that cannot be eliminated viachemotherapy. Striving to develop a gene therapy treatment, thebiologists are attempting to understand the way in which cancerouscells function by finding out which genes are associated with thedifferent cancers. However, there are 21,000 genes in the humangenome. For an idea of the number of possible combinations, itshould be noted that it is much greater than the number of nano-seconds elapsed since the universe was created. In order tocircumvent this “number curse”, Grenoble mathematicians aredesigning software on which biologists rely for progress. Throughthis multidisciplinary approach, the Labex offers new possibilitiesto achieve a genome sequence that enables the deduction of geneprofiles.

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Picture from http://string-db.org/ Fonctionnal associations of proteins v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogenes (AKT)

mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) phosphoinositide-3-kinases (PIK3). The proteins on the picture are found in16 different pathways of the KEGG data base-

http://www.genome.jp/kegg/

Thanks to the national Equip@Meso project (Equipex 2010winner), the Rhône-Alpes region (CPER CIRA) and theOSUG@2020 Labex, a Bull computing platform with a ratedoutput of 46 Tflops (1 Tflop = 1,012 operations per second)spread over 2,176 computing cores is accessible since 2013to the researchers and engineers of the Grenoble sciencecommunity.

These new computing resources, which increase the combined powerof the CIMENT Tier-2 computing centre by 2.5, serve numerous fundamentaland applied research projects in matter physics, the environment, chemistry,ecology, astronomy and astrophysics, etc. as well as industrial projectsas part of the HPC-PME initiative. The new computing platform, knownas Froggy, and its innovative cooling system have been installed sinceMay 2013 at the Saint-Martin-d’Hères campus within UJF’s sharedinfrastructure.

EQUIP@MESO Equipex: increased computing power

Froggy platform inaugurated on July 3rd 2013.

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You are a signal processing specialist. What does thatinvolve?

Signal processing is a little known pillar of the digital sciences, as it acts

as an interface between numerous fields of application. When taking

measurements, these contain useful information that is always hidden

by useless information that needs to be eliminated. For example, elec-

troencephalographic sensors measure the electrical activity in the brain,

but the signal received is a very complex mix of cerebral activity from

various regions. Similarly, the signal received by your mobile telephone

is highly distorted when you travel around town or on a high-speed train.

The art of the “signal processor” consists of extracting useful information

at very high noise levels. In order to do so, methods and algorithms must

be designed. Currently, a challenge lies in the fact that we have a very

high number of sensors, often heterogeneous, that provide additional

information, but the combined analysis of which is highly complex.

What is your research project about in more specificterms?

The first challenge addresses the processing of signals originating from

heterogeneous sensors. Consider the example of brain imaging, which

can be obtained via electrical activity (electroencephalogram) or oxygen

flows (magnetic resonance imaging), where the measurements depend

on brain activity, but through different physical phenomena. Designing

a general methodological framework to process these measurements

together would make it possible to locate the origin of specific brain

signals, both accurately and non-invasively. Epileptic regions could thus

be accurately located without having to resort to implanting intracerebral

electrodes. The second challenge is to offer a general methodological

framework to extract only useful signals, particularly when receiving

huge data streams. Lastly, the third challenge involves broadening these

source separation and extraction methods to highly non-linear mixes

such as those produced by chemical sensors.

What are the fields related to your work?

Signal processing techniques are used in a great number of fields, but

two sectors in particular are more specifically targeted by my work. The first

is healthcare, where we can hope for progress in methods for medical imaging,

extracting the foetal electrocardiogram and brain-machine interfaces. The

second is the environment with the design of chemical sensor networks to

analyse water or biological fluids, or new hyperspectral imaging methods

useful for agriculture or to monitor pollution.

“The art of the ‘signal processor’: extracting useful information at very high noise levels”

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Three questions forCHRISTIAN JUTTEN,

ERC 2012

Christian Jutten is a professor at UJF and a researcher atGipsa-lab (CNRS, Grenoble INP, UJF, Université Stendhal). SinceSeptember 2012, he is the Deputy Scientific Director of the INS2iInstitute at the CNRS, responsible for signal and image processing.He is a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France since2008 and has received numerous international awards for thequality of his research.Contact : [email protected]

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Three questions for GéRARD BESSON,

ERC 2012

What is the focus of your research as a mathematician?

I do pure mathematics and my primary field of research is geometry. Iam trying to understand the structure of spaces, particularly that inwhich we live. The research project for which I received an ERC grant isbased on unlimited three-dimensional spaces. Contrary to spaces likethe surface of a sphere, which closes in on itself, they are infinite in everydirection – we call these open spaces. One of the questions that astro-physicists are asking themselves in terms of the geometry and topologyof the universe is precisely whether or not the world we live in is openor closed. Some of these open spaces have really quite exotic structuresthat we try to understand using geometric tools – for example, by equippingthem with a means of measuring the distances and angles. This is whatwe call “Riemannian metrics”, named after the great German mathematicianof the 19th century, Bernhard Riemann. Once this tool is in place, we canhope to better understand the structure of these spaces.

What is the connection between your work and theresolution of the Poincaré conjecture?

Part of my research is based on the techniques also used by GrigoriPerelman in his resolution of the famous Poincaré conjecture. It was aquestion asked in 1904 by the French mathematician, physicist andphilosopher, Henri Poincaré. The problem involves recognising athree-dimensional hypersphere among all of the other spaces using theproperties of the curves drawn on it. Almost a century would pass beforeit could be solved, with Grigori Perelman posting his evidence on the

Web between December 2002 and July 2003. This made a considerableimpression on the general public due to Perelman’s unique personality,refusing several prestigious and well-funded awards. He drew up hisresults in a fairly elliptical manner and, with four colleagues, we spentfive years writing a publication to describe them in detail. The idea is todeform the space to make it more regular. In order to do so, a techniquewas invented at the beginning of the 1980s by American mathematicianRichard Hamilton to make objects “rounder”. It is a highly delicatemethod of mathematical analysis in which I have acquired a certain levelof expertise and that I plan to make use of within the context of the ERCproject. It should be noted that it has already seen significant applicationsfor imaging, in terms of image “denoising”, in addition to its benefit forfundamental research.

This has enabled the classification of closed three-dimensional spaces. Will you need as much time toachieve a result concerning open spaces?

We can aim for various levels of results. I thought about gradations ofdifficulties and I have a few leads that should quickly bring positive results.In my research project, there is a very fundamental question with a difficultysimilar to that of the Poincaré conjecture. There are also a great deal ofmore accessible problems. In order to ask a good question in mathematics,for a start you must fully understand the field of research and the one Iam studying is completely open in the sense that very little is knownabout it. We therefore find ourselves in a position where we are tryingto understand examples in order to better determine the situation. Yetto be fully explored, it is an issue that I feel has a promising future.

Gérard Besson is a researcher at theCNRS and has managed the Fourier Institute(UJF/CNRS) since January 2011. Before studyingopen spaces, the geometry of which is largelyunknown, he focused on entropy, which is afunction related to geometry and connected tothe dynamics of a particle system. He was amember of the international teams responsiblefor deciphering Grigori Perelman’s results afterhis resolution of the Poincaré conjecture in2003.

Contact : [email protected]

“I am trying to understand the structure of infinite spacesusing geometric tools”

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What is your field of research?

I design methods for the static analysis of software. Before a piece of software

can be rolled out, we look for “bugs” in it. We can test a number of cases and,

following sufficient conclusive testing, say that the software works, but doing

so rigorously is costly and, at any rate, non-exhaustive. We test games less

than office software and office software less than aircraft autopilot software.

Another possibility is to write a mathematical proof showing that the system

invariably works. Software testing exists, but it is tedious if you do it manually.

Turing’s work in the 1930s demonstrated that there can be no method of

automatic analysis that would say with certainty whether or not a computer

program conforms to what is expected of it. It is impossible in general terms,

but in practice it can be achieved in a great number of useful cases. The

approacheswe are designing are based on logic, arithmetic and algorithmic

geometry.

What are the challenges to overcome in your project?

Static analysis tools already exist. I myself co-developed Astrée

(CNRS/École Normale Supérieure, Paris) in collaboration with Airbus,

currently marketed by Absint. This project was centred on aircraft flight

control codes. Other tools have also been developed, for example by

Microsoft,and have already been rolled out industrially, but they do not

work all that well. In particular, they may issue warnings regarding problems

that do not actually exist. Checking these lists of potential errors can

require a tremendous amount of time and call upon a large number of

people. I am therefore trying to find new approaches that will make it

possible to remove some of these limitations and conduct more accurate

analyses, namely producing fewer false alarms while preserving high

levels of performance. Of course, in view of Turing’s results, it will be

impossible to guarantee the absence of both false negatives and false

positives, but we can come close.

Are there any direct benefits arising from your work?

We are not developing industrial tools, but rather research prototypes

– it is the same difference as developing the principle of the piston

engine and building an entire car. I will, however, be developing a static

analysis tool as an open source software, which will allow other specialists

to collaborate on this issue, as we will be more efficient if there is no

need for each person to redevelop everything from scratch… On a more

long-term basis, I expect an impact on the effectiveness of software

verification procedures. In certain fields such as healthcare in terms of

medical equipment or the automotive industry, there are critical requirements

and we cannot afford to have tools that provide “false negatives”, i.e. that

do not detect the bug.

“I expect an impact on the effectiveness of software verification procedures”

DIGITAL SCIENCES AN

D TECHNOLOGIES

Three questions forDAVID MONNIAUX,

ERC 2012

David Monniaux is Director of Research at theCNRS and a lecturer at the école Polytechnique (Palaiseau).He conducts his research at the VERIMAG laboratory(CNRS/UJF/Grenoble-INP), which is world-renowned for itsexpertise in the verification of critical systems.


19

NANOSCIENCES,INNOVATIVE MATERIALS ANDECO-RESPONSIBLEENGINEERING

From energy to healthcare or the envi-ronment, a great deal of sectors standto benefit from the innovations promisedby the five Laboratories of Excellencefocusing on nanosciences and innovativematerials – fields in which the UJF isheavily involved. Understanding how alandslide occurs, focusing on nano-particles to anticipate the potential risksprior to massive spreading in natureand studying the properties of nitridesto produce electronic components thatare resistant to extremely high tempe-ratures are just a few examples of themany objectives set by these Labexes.

20

Developing nanosensors for healthcare in order to make diag-noses more reliable and replacing silicon in components withdiamond, a bio-compatible and modifiable material, are justsome of the avenues being explored by the Labex, whose centralidea is using nanosciences for information in the fields ofenergy and healthcare.

Nanosensors for more reliable diagnosesRelying on twenty-five years of collaborative physics research initiated byLouis Néel, LANEF (Laboratory of Alliances between Nanosciences and

Energies for the Future) was born from the desire to work better together.This new momentum was created in order to meet the needs identifiedon a global level and five laboratories therefore united to develop numerousideas for projects. They are exploring nanosciences for information, energiesfor the future and nanosensors for healthcare through highly technicalthemes such as electrical energy, advanced superconductivity and the newfrontiers of cryogenics.

Attracting new talentThe fields of research are fixed, but the scientific programme is not set instone, LANEF’s choice being to operate via calls for tender to attract talentedscientists. The Labex planned on creating a “surrounded” Chair of Excellencefor Nanosciences and Energies for the Future with six calls for tender andaround forty doctoral and postdoctoral positions. In terms of Master’sprogrammes, the stakeholders united by LANEF are working on puttingtogether a new course and place emphasis on practical work. With thisproject, the laboratories also wish to strengthen their relations with R&Dstructures and industry, as well as continue to expand, just like they didwith the businesses Crocus, Cedrat and McPHy.www.grenoble-lanef.fr

LANEF: energy and healthcare at the nano level

Gaining a better understanding of the behaviour of complexobjects and being able to model predicting purposes and tomake better use of it is the challenge of the work conductedwithin the TEC 21 Labex. How do the foundations of a structureunder high stress change? How does an avalanche or landslideoccur and progress? How does a sandy coast or a dyke behaveduring exceptionally severe weather? How do fluids circulatein the complex geometry of a chemical reactor, turbine, biofilteror network of blood capillaries? By refining our understandingof these phenomena and integrating it into new models, TEC 21encourages a process of technological innovation that will makeit possible to meet new requirements in terms of sustainability,conservation of resources, energy saving and eco-compatibility.

Increased complexityThe Labex’s ambition is to develop a new generation of design and assisteddecision-making tools incorporating the level of complexity required tounderstand phenomena combining solids, liquids, gases, chemistry andliving organisms, in connection with chemical and biochemical transfor-mations. The Labex unites the Grenoble mechanical engineering communityin its entirety as well as active research units in the fields of process engineering,materials sciences and soft matter physics. Together, researchers are developingnew approaches that incorporate multi-physical and multi-scale couplingsbetween phenomena, united around the methodological three-prongedmodelling/experimentation/simulation approach.

Challenges facing societyAn important forward-looking study has revealed three major areas of progressin various fields of application. The first area concerns the understandingof natural (avalanches, sediments, etc.), biological (blood, etc.) or industrial(reactors, exchangers, thrusters, etc.) complex systems. The second areaaims at developing clean technologies (ecodesign, recycling, etc.) andinventing new matter transformation processes, namely using plant biomass.Lastly, the third area contributes to a better understanding of the basicmechanisms of certain pathologies and the development of new prosthetics

or diagnostic tools. The Labex also considers the rapid distribution to theindustrial sector of the new concepts and tools it develops to be of majorimportance for innovation and employment. Both the courses and thetechnological platforms linked to the Labex will be important vehicles forthese transfers. In particular, the establishment of integrated research/trai-ning/industry projects will facilitate the rapid distribution of these newmethods within students’ education. www.tec21.fr

TEC 21: the engineering of complexity to meet the challenges ofthe 21st century

NAN

OSCIENCES, INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND ECO-RESPONSIBLE ENGINEERING

SERENADE: understanding nanoparticles in order to counter the risks

21

From car tyres to sun creams, electrical circuits and self-cleaningglass, nanomaterials can be found in a wide variety of products.Sometimes, they can even be found in our socks. In hospitals,the walls are coated in paint containing silver nanoparticles toprevent the proliferation of bacteria. If today their usage remainsfairly limited, this will be developed by 2020 to take on majorimportance for our society. The SERENADE Labex has decidedto focus on these nanoparticles, the objective being to anticipatethe potential risks related to their use in an effort to counterthem prior to massive spreading in nature. The Labex’s researchshould particularly help the European Union define standardsfor regulating the use of these nanomaterials in the future.

Smart fabricsWhat is their life cycle? What is their toxicity for humans? For the environ-ment? SERENADE addresses these increasingly current issues. Having spentyears studying natural nanoparticles, the researchers are now transferringtheir knowledge in an effort to understand industrial nanoparticles. They aremeasuring their toxicity on plants as well as humans, particularly in termsof skin when wearing “smart” fabrics such as thermoregulatory t-shirts.They are also looking into how these nanoparticles age and degrade.

Educating industrialistsThrough their research, they hope to achieve a nanoparticle ecodesignwith a view to preserving the environment and protecting the healthof professionals and users. It was with this aim in mind that SERENADEdeveloped an ambitious education component. In addition to awardingdoctoral and post-doctoral scholarships and creating Lecturer Chairs,the Labex will be offering a course with close ties to industry. By means ofcontinuing training aimed at small businesses, its intention is to introduceindustrialists to the toxicology of nanomaterials so that they mightcontrol this aspect throughout the entire production chain.www.labex-serenade.org

The CEMAM Labex is dedicated to designing, creating and characterising hybrid materials to improve the performance of futuretechnologies for healthcare, the environment, homes and energy.

Using their specialist skills, the Grenoble scientists are designing materials with new features to meet requirements in terms of reliability, development cost,lifespan and recyclability. This developmental project places equal importance on the modelling, characterisation and development of materials. Its goal isto unite the scientific resources in the field of materials using interdisciplinary, cross-functional projects that address engineering challenges and combineboth academic research and industry. These cover the various scopes of application within the sectors relating to energy, nano and ecotechnology andhealthcare. http://cemam.grenoble-inp.fr/cemam/#KLINK

CEMAM: “tailor-made” materials for the future

NAN


22

It will soon be possible to manufacture electronic componentsthat are resistant to extremely high temperatures using galliumnitride (GaN). Whereas silicon cannot be used in environmentsexceeding temperatures of 200°C, GaN pushes these boundaries,resisting temperatures that even reach higher than 450°C.

This highly innovative material should quickly prove useful in harsh envi-ronments, namely for aviation and drilling. The Ganex Labex was formedas a public-private national network uniting numerous laboratories withthe aim of gaining a better understanding of the properties of GaN andthose of Group III nitrides, for which it is the emblematic representative.In parallel to research, industrial activity relating to GaN is seeing increasingdevelopment, from the use of light-emitting diodes such as white LEDs tolasers in Blu-ray players. Ganex’s aim is to enhance the position of Frenchacademic stakeholders in terms of knowledge and visibility, as well as thatof industrialists in terms of know-how and market shares. In an effort tobetter spread knowledge relating to nitrides, the Labex has set up aninternational school that has taken place in June 2013 and will be organisedevery two years.www.ganex.fr

Ganex: utilising the multiple properties of an innovative material

As the largest laboratory in Europe for the use of high magneticfields, the LNCMI (UJF/CNRS/Toulouse 3), with one of its twosites located in Grenoble, is equipped to continue supportingfundamental and advanced progress, particularly for critical-temperature superconductors.

Currently, its magnets consume a great deal of energy – 19 GWh/year,which is equivalent to that of a medium-sized town. LaSUP will make itpossible to lower this consumption while providing Europe with a facilityof the highest worldwide standard. The new 43 Tesla (T) Hybrid will havea core capable of resisting 35 T. This will be surrounded by an 8 T super-conducting magnet. The statistics for the “baby” are 20 t, 8 m high and 2 mwide. Delivery is expected in 2015.

LaSUP Equipex: new magnets for Europe

NAN


23

Three questions forJEAN-LOUIS BARRAT,

ERC 2011

What is your field of research?

I study the physics of liquids and materials from both a theoretical and a

digital perspective. I am trying to understand the connection between

what happens on an atomic and a molecular level and what we observe

at a more macroscopic scale, i.e. the material properties and fluid flows.

My focus in particular is on what happens when you deform a material.

Initially, there are always the ingredients that we have added to the

preparation – this is the microscopic aspect, which is more or less well

structured within space. Understanding the connection between the

microscopic aspect and the macroscopic aspect then makes it possible

to play with the composition and the local structure of the microscopic

aspect in order to obtain properties that we would like on a different

scale.

What are the specific characteristics of the materialsyou are studying as part of the ERC project?

My research focuses on the mechanics of disordered materials at the atomic

level. Many materials, such as aluminium or steel, are crystalline, i.e. their

atoms are well organised in a network, like squares on a sheet of paper.

Then, there is another class of materials in which the atoms are packed

closely together, but completely disorganised – you cannot find a simple

path to go from one to the other. A great number of these disordered

materials are used every day – plastic materials, paper, etc. These materials,

because of their disorganisation, are closer to liquids. I also focus on trans-

port phenomena, i.e. what happens when we move atoms in relation to

one another. The aim of my project is to describe, in statistical terms, the

way in which atoms are jostled when we deform disordered materials.

Through your research, will these disordered materialsacquire new properties?

While I am not working directly on forming higher-performance materials,

I do intend to define and validate a theoretical framework for disordered

materials. A good theoretical framework will give us a better indication

of which parameters to play with, in order to alter the properties. The

scopes of application for these theories are extremely broad. They can be

useful not only to researchers studying earthquakes, but also to indus-

trialists manufacturing highly elastic metal objects, such as golf clubs, or

conversely very soft solids such as mousses or pastes like toothpaste.

These fields, which may seem very far-removed, nevertheless share common

elements, involving disordered systems with mechanical properties

spread over numerous length scales. We are thus trying to understand

the microscopic mechanisms behind a deformation on a much larger

scale. When we say microscopic, this does not necessarily mean at the

atomic or nanometric level, or below. For those whose work focuses on

earthquakes, the microscopic level will be a few centimetres, or even a

few metres.

Jean-Louis Barrat is a professor at UJF and a member of the InstitutUniversitaire de France. He has formed a new team within the InterdisciplinaryPhysics Laboratory (LIPhy – CNRS/UJF). He will henceforth be attempting toexpress as equations and digitally study the universal aspects of the rheologyof complex fluids and glass. He was awarded the CNRS Silver Medal in 2012.


“My focus is on what happens when you deform a material.”

NANOSCIENCES, INNOVATIVE M

ATERIALS AND ECO-RESPONSIBLE ENGINEERING

24

EARTH SCIENCES, ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

In the field of earth sciences, astronomyand astrophysics, the UJF is partneredwith three Laboratories of Excellence.Within these Labexes, researchers arefocusing on astroparticles and elementaryparticles, while some are making an effortto refine the forecasting of naturalsystems such as earthquakes and othersare endeavouring to unite experts fromall areas of detection for the explorationof the universe with a view to offeringFranco-European sectors an internationalscope. They each share the commondesire to better understand the laws ofnature and the origins of the universe.

25

Backed by the Grenoble Observatory for Science and theUniverse (OSUG), this project aims to roll out innovative strategiesin an effort to better observe and model natural systems, fromthe depths of the Earth (dynamics of the Earth’s core, mantlegeochemistry) to the surfaces of the continents (seismology,erosion processes), the environmental systems (climatology,hydrology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences) of our planetand its neighbours (Mars, origins of the solar system) and theedges of the universe (high energies, star and planet formation).

Major importance for humankindBetter forecasting of natural phenomena and their environmental impactsis one of the main aims of the OSUG@2020 Labex. Our forecasting abilityrests on our understanding and knowledge of the phenomena at work.However, examining the universe or investigating our planet – its depths,dynamics and resources – requires continuous field observation. This pro-gramme breathes new life into the field by equipping seismological, geo-physical, environmental and astronomical observatories with cutting-edgeinstruments. It also makes it possible to improve the processing of the nu-merous data collected and destined for long-term storage for modellingpurposes.

A link between research and societyThis multidisciplinary programme is supported by a sustained policyof value enhancement and commitment to the civil and economic sectorsof society. In particular, the OSUG is intensifying its approach to consultingin terms of public policies in its fields of expertise, such as environmentalmanagement (ecosystems, pollution, etc.) and natural risk prevention.The observatory also in-tends to strengthen itsresearch and developmentpartnerships for instru-mentation, renewableenergies, geologicalprospecting and civilengineering, etc.www.osug.fr/labex-osug-2020

OSUG@2020: observation for understanding and forecastingthe Earth and the universe

The Grenoble area’s posi-tion is unique due to thehigh concentration of labo-ratories and businessesspecialising in the deve-lopment and implementa-tion of detectors in themedical, scientific, spaceand military sectors. With

nine partners across three sites in France and a strong relationshipwith industrialists in this field, FOCUS wishes, in the long term,to combine experts from all areas of detection for the explorationof the universe, from components to instruments and usage.

Infrared, terahertz radiation and innovative detectorsThe Labex was born from the considerable challenge of detection inastrophysical observation instruments on the ground and in space. Up tohalf of the budget for an instrument can be allocated to this. While themain industrial suppliers may be across the Atlantic, Europe has the topexperts. FOCUS wishes to expand the scope of the Franco-European sectorsfor detectors, from academic research to industry. FOCUS’ interest lies morespecifically in infrared and terahertz radiation detection and innovativedetectors. It began with “simple” steps, taking advantage of availabletechnologies, or those being developed, via other programmes with avariety of funding sources (CNES, ESA, Single Inter-Ministry Fund, ANR,etc.).

Widening the scope of application for detectorsCurrently, it is beginning to take more daring steps, turning to new tech-nologies or emerging physical concepts. In terms of education, the Labexwishes to offer visibility and cohesion for the teaching of detection in Gre-noble and France as a whole. It will also be offering a course adapted tothe needs of research laboratories and industry for technicians, engineersand researchers. Work placements and summer schools will be organisedwith the support of the Haute-Provence Observatory. The Labex has made ita priority to improve the performance of detectors for means of astrophysicalobservation, as well as to widen their scope of application. Three start-upsfrom the UJF – Alpao, First Light Imaging and Resolution Spectra System

– are already using astrophysics technologies for ophthalmology, aeronauticsand lasers. To date, SOFRADIR, one of the leading manufacturers of IRdetectors, has been a high-profile partner.http://ipag.osug.fr/Focus-Labex

FOCUS: better detectors for the exploration of the universe

© OSUG-Rebus

© IRAM

IRAM 30 meters telescop on Veleta peak in Spain.

EARTH SCIENCES, ASTRONOMY AN

D ASTROPHYSICS

ENIGMASS: astroparticles – witnesses to the evolution of the universe

Understanding the laws of nature and the origins of the universeconstitutes Enigmass’ extensive programme. Within the Labex arefour Grenoble, Annecy-le-Vieux and Modane laboratories workinghand in hand around the theme of the infinitely small and the infinitelylarge. They are focused more specifically on astroparticles andelementary particles with a view to understanding how the universehas evolved.

Creating knowledgeBy observing what falls to us from the heavens, as well as what happens upon

the collision of particles accelerated by an accelerator, the Enigmass scientists

are looking for new phenomena and comparing theoretical ideas with experience.

The goal here is not technological, but rather to create knowledge. Nevertheless,

this field does present benefits for the socio-economic sector, particularly in

terms of the nuclear industry, healthcare technologies (cancer treatment),

materials sciences, mechatronics, fast electronics, the development of computer

networks and cloud computing.

School of InstrumentationIn terms of education, the Labex has launched a number of initiatives that reach

beyond its themes. For example, it will be creating a School of Instrumentation for

Particle Physics on the Swiss border, which will offer students courses for two

months. It is also working on enhancing PEREN, the platform at the LPSC (Grenoble

Subatomic Physics and Cosmology Laboratory) that offers doctors and engineers

training courses in nuclear energy. Lastly, it has set up scholarship offers to attract

both French and international students currently in one and two-year Master’s

programmes in an effort to draw interest to the field.

enigmass.in2p3.fr

With EcoX, X-ray absorption spectroscopy performance is multiplied by ten in the structuralstudy of metals and is making a technological leap that is useful for environmental, chemical,biological and medical applications. The research into structural biogeochemistry conductedat the Grenoble Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre - OSUG, UJF/CNRS/IRD/University ofSavoy/IFSTTAR) is driven by a number of key questions – where is a metal pollutant in aheterogeneous natural matrix and in what atomic and molecular form is it attached? EcoXwill enable the construction at the ESRF of an instrument equipped with a new, highly sensitiveX-ray detector capable of “seeing” these elements at very low doses and at an unrivalledchemical and structural resolution. The first scientific application targeted by the EcoX researchersis mercury, as using these new cutting-edge tools will provide previously unseen informationabout its form within living organisms.

EcoX Equipex: X-rays will be able to “see” smaller

26


D ASTROPHYSICS

27

What are the activities undertaken by a seismologist?

Seismology, derived from the Greek word seismos which means “shake”

is a science with two aspects – on the one hand, it is the study of earth-

quakes and their consequences while, on the other, it is the study of seis-

mic waves, which are the only waves that spread inside the Earth. Because

of these waves, we know the internal structure of our planet. Our work

involves going into the field, setting up stations and, increasingly, reco-

vering and analysing the huge mass of data available at the information

sharing centres.

Your research project is called “WHISPER”. What lies be-hind this name?

The data that we analyse originate from recordings of seismic noise. The

Earth’s interior is constantly restless. If you listen at a high frequency, you

can hear cars, people walking, industry, etc. At a low frequency, you can

hear a permanent noise that, essentially, originates from microearth-

quakes caused by the interactions of the tides with the Earth’s crust. Even

in Grenoble, you can hear the ocean swells. It is this signal, the constant

whispering inside the Earth, that we intend to study and enhance in the ERC

project.

What is the purpose of studying seismic noise?

In particular, seismic noise recordings make it possible to obtain an image

of the Earth’s crust and mantle, as well as “create” seismograms, even in

areas without earthquakes. Contrary to earthquakes, which occur on an

occasional basis, seismic noise is continuous – we record noise every day.

The virtual seismograms that we construct using this noise depend solely on

the stations, which means that we can do something perfectly repetitive

and look at very slight variations that are deforming the Earth’s interior.

We hope that, with these new data, we will have an impact on risk

prevention in terms of volcano monitoring – our methods make it possible

to detect warning signals of volcanic eruptions – and the monitoring of

fault systems where earthquakes occur. We also hope to monitor industrial

work such as CO2 storage inside the Earth, mining operations or

hydrocarbon extraction in order to check that everything is running as

expected and that there is no risk for the environment.

“We listen to seismic noise – that constantwhispering of the Earth”


D ASTROPHYSICS

Three questions for MICHEL CAMPILLO,

ERC 2008

Michel Campillo is a seismologist. He is a professor at UniversitéJoseph Fourier and a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Heconducts his research at the Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTerre/OSUG– CNRS/UJF/UdS/IRD/IFSTTAR). He was awarded the Beno GutenbergMedal by the European Geosciences Union in 2012.


28


D ASTROPHYSICS

As an astrophysicist, what is your field of research?

I study gamma-ray astronomy. In traditional astronomy, we observe the

sky, i.e. what is visible. After the Second World War, we began looking at

the sky using radio waves and realised that it did not look the same as

we were seeing in terms of what is visible. The electromagnetic spectrum

is like a rainbow – in the middle we have the visible region; on the left,

infrared radiation, millimetre waves and radio waves; on the right, ultra-

violet, X-rays and, at the far end of the spectrum, gamma rays.

Why focus more specifically on gamma-ray emission?

From ground level, we cannot observe X-rays and gamma rays because

the atmosphere protects us. Since the 1960s, researchers have been

trying to find ways to look at gamma-ray photons, but it was only from

the beginning of the 2000s that technological advances enabled us to

move forward. We developed a ground-based observatory capable of

seeing the cascade of particles emitted by gamma rays as they enter the

atmosphere. HESS is a system of four telescopes installed in Namibia that

has been in service since 2003 and has contributed to the discovery of

almost 130 gamma sources, while we had known of only five up to then.

We were beginning to obtain data on gamma rays when I got the project

to study binary stars. I wanted to know if these star systems which evolve

in orbit with compact stars such as neutron stars, black holes and white

dwarfs, emit gamma rays. I got a result when, in 2008, we launched the

Fermi satellite, with which we discovered Cygnus X-3, a binary star that

emits gamma rays when matter is ejected around the black hole.

Do your research results have applications in everydaylife?

My work consists of modelling the sources of gamma energy, so there is

no direct application. Even so, astronomy is not unconnected to the business

world. It requires the development of instruments that can then serve

industry and lead to the creation of start-ups. Astronomy is also a showcase

for physics. It is easier to attract people by telling them about planets and

black holes than bringing up solid-state physics. The fact that we can do

astrophysics is a sign of good health for our society. It is deciding to invest

in our research even though there are no direct economic benefits.

Guillaume Dubus is an astrophysicist at the Grenoble Institute of Planetologyand Astrophysics (IPAG-OSUG – UJF/CNRS). Researcher at the CNRS, he is working oncompact binaries – double systems comprising a normal star and a neutron star, whitedwarf or black hole. He is focused on the emission of high-energy and ultra-high-energygamma rays coming from these systems.


“I wanted to know if binary stars emit gamma rays”

Three questions for GUILLAUME DUBUS,

ERC 2007

29

INNOVATION FOR TERRITORIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Several Grenoble laboratories arecollaborating at the ITEM andAE&CC Laboratories of Excellence todevelop innovation in the territorialand environmental sciences. Theformer focuses particularly onenvironments and climate changes,using the mountains as a laboratory.The latter is trying to tackle thechallenges of highly economical andeco-responsible homes, heritageconservation and innovation interms of building materials promo-ting local resources.

Socio-economic changes and global environmental disruption

are the territorial issues to which ITEM wishes to bring a fresh

perspective. The Labex combines environmental sciences and

humanities and social sciences with a view to analysing

environments and climate changes and creating a centre of

expertise in the issues faced by mountain

territories.

In practical terms, the researchers are using the mountain

territories as laboratories to observe the phenomena

in progress and test out solutions. Beyond studying a

territory, this scientific project focuses on the way in

which it is shaped by humans. The research is centred on

three major areas of focus – an interdisciplinary approach

and societal/territorial/environmental interactions;

mountain territory innovation and, lastly, experimentation

with stakeholders in the field. The Labex relies on research

units and structures working on various geographical

and cultural areas in order to avoid using just “one” single

mountain model (the Alps, for example) as the basis for

its research, but rather build approaches and tools that

can be transferred to other “environments” while taking into account specific

medial, cultural and territorial characteristics. It is an in-depth study of the

construction of an interdisciplinary community that is being built within

this project and the way in which it functions.

www.labexitem.fr

ITEM: territories as laboratories

From tackling the challenges of highly economical and eco-responsible homes to heritage conservation and innovation interms of building materials promoting local resources, thisLabex, backed by Grenoble’s école Nationale Supérieured’Architecture, is aimed at construction cultures.

Its studies have already found applications, such as the construction of4,000 homes in Haiti, for which AE&CC is working with the UJF laboratoriesto design houses that are both suited to the needs of users and earthquake-

resistant. They also contributed to the victory of the Rhône-Alpesteam in the Madrid Solar Decathlon 2012, a European competitionthat challenges universities to design and create a house using onlythe sun as a source of energy. In this field, where applied researchis predominant, the Labex also makes it possible to free up time andresources for researchers to promote their knowledge via publications andconferences, as well as take part in the organisation of major eventssuch as the International Colloquium on Conservation of World HeritageEarthen Architecture organised by UNESCO in December 2012.

AE&CC: new resources for construction cultures

30

INNOVATION FOR TERRITORIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

FloralisUJF ‘s technology transfer subsidiary

“Our job is to find the market potential of an invention and protect the researchers

and the organisations employing them.”

31

Mariana Tsymbrovska has been the Managing Director of Floralis since2012. An engineer with a doctorate in mechanical and civil engineering,she joined the Université Joseph Fourier’s commercial development andtechnology transfer subsidiary in 2004.

What is the main aim of Floralis?

Mariana Tsymbrovska :Floralis was created to accelerate and professionaliseUJF’s industrial relationship. This means setting up research collaborations

between laboratories and businesses and offering scientific services to

industrialists. The research results developed in the laboratories have a

scientific value. This knowledge is passed on by the researchers to their scientific

peers through publications, but it should also be put to good use in real life.

It is an entire business. Our role is to go into laboratories, track down research

results that may have economic potential, assess them and come up with

initiatives to transform this potential into something tangible.

What form does your work with the researchers take?

M. T. Floralis supports the research team. While science has its conventions,business development has others. When a researcher develops an innovation,

we assess the potential of this research result with them and look at whether

they should file a patent along with a publication. If they want to conclude an

industrial contract, we advise them in order to ensure that the collaboration

is evenly balanced. We want to protect the inventions, the researchers and

especially the organisations employing them. Everything a researcher

creates belongs to his employer. There is thus joint ownership and researchers

need to be made aware of this.

What are the commercial development strategies?

M. T. One possibility is licensing. We grant licences to existing businessesthat need the technology concerned. We could also create a start-up. In this

case, we must prove that the technology developed corresponds to an

industrial requirement – this is proof of concept. We then make a prototype,

which needs to demonstrate the market interest of the research result in

question. For some prototypes, we can generate turnover very early on,

either by selling them or by offering services.

Floralis also handles the commercial development ofUJF’s numerous platforms. How is this activity put intopractice?

M. T. UJF has around fifteen facilities and platforms of all levels, which arevery expensive. Sometimes, they are funded by the University itself, but in

most cases they are supported by subsidies from the region, the government or

the European Union. These facilities

are not used 100% of the time for

research needs, so there is “free”

machine time that can be put to

good use. We know that industry

often looks for means of characteri-

sation for imaging and cannot afford

to buy the equipment. Our idea is to

offer these facilities and the skills

that go with them to the world of

industry, in conjunction with the

research team, of course.

32

Isabelle Olivier is Vice-President of the Board of Studies and Student Life since january 2014. She explainswhich are the priorities for education at UJF.

What are the Université Joseph Fourier’s educational strengths on which it can draw todevelop its attractiveness ?

Isabelle Olivier : UJF stands out because of the wide range of courses it offers, amidst a strong scientificenvironment, in a close and effective collaboration with businesses. Our university thus offers a range ofMaster’s courses that train professionals to five years after the baccalaureate which are both recognised andhighly sought after in the job market. For example, we have a Master’s in Engineering, Traceability andSustainable Development at our Valence site, which trains nuclear experts with excellent employmentprospects, as well as Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering or In Vitro Diagnostics Industry for the field ofhealthcare, or Computer Science Applied to Business Administration (MIAGE) for management informationsystems, which recently celebrated its 40th year of teaching. 95% to 100% of students have a job 30 monthsafter they finish their Master’s degree at UJF.

The Université Joseph Fourier’s strong ties with industry, through its courses and its research, helps createpathways to connect businesses and meet their needs. The development of work/study courses (elevenMaster’s specialisations with apprenticeships in 2012 compared to only three in 2007) also constitutes oneof the University’s strategies to promote the integration of its students into the working world. Polytech Grenoble and its seven engineering courses, one of which is a work/study course, are also one ofour University’s strengths in terms of the relevance of the courses it offers for the world of socio-economics.Certain courses, unique to France, have been a great success – Geotechnics, the first engineering specialisationto be approved by the Engineering Accreditation Committee in 1983, the course to train engineers in riskprevention for all sectors of professional activity since 1991 and the Information Technology for Healthcare(ITH) course, which recently celebrated its tenth year of teaching and has been able to develop new skills atthe crossroad between healthcare and information technology.

Another of our University’s strengths is its great capacity for educational innovation to promote equalopportunities. UJF is thus the first university in France to have introduced a reform in the first year ofhealthcare studies to encourage equal opportunities using new information and communication technologiesfor teaching. Since then, UJF has emerged as a pioneer in the development of a digital university in the fieldof healthcare.

UJF’s courses : towards more visibility

33

Always concerned with equal opportunities, UJF is also innovative in welcoming specific groups – top-level athletes,artists and people with disabilities can receive support as part of an adapted study project. As such, UJF’s outstandingsports department is the best in France for the number of sports students welcomed – 250!

Equal opportunities are more than just words at UJF, illustrated by the ENEPS (National School for Professional HigherEducation). Created in 2009, the school gives the opportunity to top students who have completed a vocationalsecondary education and who have been selected from all over France, to pursue their studies at university withspecific support to help them succeed in passing a DUT (French undergraduate diploma in technology) or continuefurther to a Master’s or an engineering degree.

What areas are important to develop in order to widen our attractiveness?

I.O. In a context of increased international competition between universities, we must significantly develop ourattractiveness by increasing the offer dedicated to international students. International courses from Bachelor’s level,International Master’s and Erasmus Mundus Master’s courses must be made systematic. This greater internationalopenness at our University goes hand in hand with the construction of the University of Grenoble Alps. The newinternationally focused university will need to offer full visibility for the international courses at the differentinstitutions.With that in mind, we must be ready in order to ensure the new university’s course catalogue measuresup to its new scope and the new challenges of globalisation.

Another area we need to strengthen is the relationship between the University and secondary schools. This is toensure adequate recruitment, particularly in the first year of science and technology courses. We need to betterpromote our University and its highly experimentation-focused science teaching among parents, teachers andsecondary school students. The University’s image needs to evolve by better developing and coordinating communicationcampaigns for these target groups.

What are the priority projects that need to be put in place over thenext five years?

I.O. The top priority at the moment is to work on the clarification of the coursesoffered in partnership with the other institutions in the area. Our goal is to takethe overabundant, confusing offer of the University of Grenoble Alps and makeit easy to understand.

The Digital University is also a challenge we need to overcome over the next fewyears. The University of Grenoble Alps will have to reinforce the online availabilityof its best courses to develop its visibility and international attractiveness.

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With its top-level, IDEFI-approved range of courses forstudents having completed vocational secondary education,the ENEPS stands out thanks to the quality of its reinforcedteaching, its social dimension and the originality of itspartnership with leading industrial groups.

The National School for Professional Higher Education (ENEPS) is a route toexcellence for students having completed vocational secondary educationfrom the production sector in civil engineering, electrical engineeringand industrial data processing, networks and telecommunications, andmechanical and production engineering. This system, created in 2009 bythe Université Joseph Fourier (UJF), is set to become the cornerstone ofa national network involving multiple universities.

400 students having completed vocational secondaryeducationThe school recruits students having completed vocational secondaryeducation from all over the country and offers them a five-year course.The first two years of study are focused on preparation for a DUT (Frenchundergraduate diploma in technology) within the University Institute ofTechnology (IUT) at the UJF. Students benefit from reinforced teachingwith supervised study hours, problem-based learning and division of

class sizes. After obtaining the DUT, they have the opportunity to continuetheir studies to a Professional Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s or at anengineering school. The goal of the ENEPS by 2018 is to host 400 studentshaving completed vocational secondary education, 35% of whom willpursue their studies to Bac+5 level (five years of higher education), andto develop an ENEPS network at other French universities. The stakes arehigh for these universities, since the number of students having completedvocational secondary education is steadily increasing and is set to overtakethe number of students having completed general and technologicalsecondary education.

Committed partnersMultiple businesses (Vinci Construction France, GFC Construction, SchneiderElectric, Orange and the Spie Batignolles and Schneider Electric Foundations)have chosen to join us on the ENEPS adventure, thus assuming theircorporate responsibility in favour of education and equal opportunities.This strong professional partnership lies at the heart of the project. Itallows for site visits, supervision of professional projects, work placementoffers within partner businesses and privileged support from humanresources departments. The Grenoble CROUS is also partnered with theschool, offering students the possibility, whether they are grant holdersor not, to receive financial aid and university accommodation.

ENEPS: the first stone in a future national network for professional higher education

EDUCATION

The National School for Professional Higher Education currently hosts almost 100students, compared to thirteen for its first year. Since the beginning of the 2013academic year, for its fifth year running, it is offering a new course, “Mechanicaland Production Engineering”, which co-exists with the “Civil Engineering”, “ElectricalEngineering and Industrial Data Processing” and “Networks and Telecommunications”courses, created in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively.

www.eneps.fr

ENEPS: an overview

AVOSTTI: opening up the Polytech network to new student populations

This project, with thirteen in-house university schools, aims toimprove the appeal of engineering courses in France and theirinternational visibility.

As a joint Polytech network project, AVOSTTI must allow three new student

populations to securely join one of the thirteen in-house university Polytech

engineering schools. This IDEFI-approved project receives strong backing

from industry, particularly from the French Union for Metallurgy Industries

and Professions (UIMM).

Two new entrance examsThe first aspect of this initiative is aimed at students having completedtechnological secondary education (STI2D: Science and Technologyfor Industry and Sustainable Development, and STL: LaboratorySciences and Technologies) and students in their first year of healthcarestudies (PACES: combined first year of healthcare studies). At a timewhen courses in electronics and computer science are particularlystruggling with recruitment, the Polytech network feels that studentsin these areas would make good candidates. In terms of studentshaving completed STI2D and STL, this means copying the existingmodel of the Polytech Engineering Student Pathway (PeiP) aimedat students having completed scientific secondary education andpassed the Geipi Polytech entrance exam. Only, instead of beingenrolled in the first two years of a Bachelor’s course before joining oneof the courses in the Polytech network, students from technologicalbackgrounds who pass a specific Geipi Polytech entrance exam willbe taught in an IUT department. Just like the PeiPs, schools will provide

additional, “engineering-oriented”courses. Polytech also has an entranceexam for students having passed thePACES, but who have not been recruited,who would like to change direction byvalidating their PACES as an L1 (first yearof a Bachelor’s course) and then joininga second year of a specific PeiP.

International relationsThe second aspect of AVOSTTI focuses on

internationalising the engineering courses.

This means encouraging students from

emerging markets, at the end of their first

year of a Master’s obtained in their own

country and after having simultaneously completed an additional distance

learning course offered by the Polytech network, to come and take the final

two years of an engineering course at one of the schools in the network.

Supported by the Francophone University Association (AUF), the network

thus hopes to attract over 600 French-speaking foreign students who will

come out of the Polytech network with a combined degree. Thanks to

AVOSTTI, the introduction of these new bridges should enable the education of

1,600 additional future engineers capable of supporting the reindustrialisation

of our society.

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EDUCATION

36

The project aims to continuously develop the educational

tools and content of micro and nanoelectronics courses, as

well as extend the range of courses offered to a wider audience.

Led by the GIP-CNFM (Public Interest Group for the National Coordination

of Education in Microelectronics and Nanotechnologies), which has

thirteen members – twelve university centres, including the Université

Joseph Fourier and Grenoble INP, and the Union for Vacuum Tube and

Semiconductor Industries (SITELESC) – FINMINA is a tremendous opportunity

to consolidate the level of education in micro and nanotechnologies to

help make France increasingly competitive in this field.

A one-stop shopIn particular, FINMINA will provide the network with the means to structure

itself to coordinate and broaden the range of courses offered for a wider

audience. Until now, micro and nanoelectronics courses primarily catered

to Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral students. Now, it is all about offering

lifelong learning on a national level for technicians or engineers by creating

a one-stop shop. In concrete terms, FINMINA aims to establish a catalogue

of existing course offers, or of those to be created, within the twelve university

centres that comprise the CNFM and whose skills are complementary, as

well as to prepare educational content to adapt them to industrial needs.

Initiatives aimed at secondary school studentsFINMINA will also make it possible to strengthen the efforts made over

the last few years, particularly at the UJF, to demystify nanotechnologies

for secondary school students and combat disinterest among young

people concerning hard science. They are invited to come to the CNFM

platforms and use cutting-edge equipment as part of an educational

project designed in advance with their teachers. The new range of

courses, being progressively rolled out, will thus be gradual, modular and

cross-disciplinary. They will offer a huge advantage by building up a pool

in France of competent personnel in a rapidly growing field.

FINMINA: top-level courses in micro and nanoelectronics

EDUCATION

Professional Bachelor’s degrees: a fast-developing range of courses

After creating an initial Chemistry and Biology course,which offers UJF students university education in Englishwith students from Boston University, the UJF openedthree other International Bachelor’s courses in Mathematicsand Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry and Mechanics,and Biology.

The goal of the International Bachelor’s is to give students the

opportunity to develop combined language and science skills. The

four courses offered in Chemistry and Biology; Biology; Mathematics and Com-

puter Science, and Physics, Chemistry and Mechanics prepare them to join

a professional world influenced by internationalisation and where the abi-

lity to communicate in English has become vital.

Going abroadIn the first two years of the course, one part is taught in English. In the third

year, students are encouraged to spend one or two semesters abroad. They

are thus given priority to participate in an international university exchange

programme, thereby multiplying their chances of gaining access to an

International Master’s. Added to a solid scientific education are the advantages

of a real international experience. This offers everyone the opportunity,

without having to wait to complete their studies, to create a personal net-

work of social and professional relationships on a global scale.

CareersBy choosing an International Bachelor’s course, students can aim for careers

in research and engineering (International Bachelor’s in Biology + scientific

Master’s or engineering schools), teaching (International Bachelor’s in Biology

+ teaching Master’s), communication (International Bachelor’s in Biology +

Master’s in scientific communication) and abroad (International Bachelor’s

in Biology + Master’s in International Trade).

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EDUCATION

38

Coordinated by the Université Joseph Fourier and supportedby Erasmus Mundus, this programme aims to provide studentswith a multidisciplinary course that will help them developnew products in the life sciences and healthcare industries.

The Erasmus Mundus Master’s in BioHealth Computing was designed to

improve the effectiveness and quality of biomedical research through

better education for students. Coordinated by the Université Joseph

Fourier, this Master’s course is taught in English and aims to train scientists

capable of supporting the development of multidisciplinary research

programmes combining biotechnologies, clinical research, environmental

health, mathematics and computer science.

Ten committed universitiesThis top-level programme is backed by a consortium combining industrialists,

private businesses in the field of biotechnologies and five internationally

renowned universities – the Université Joseph Fourier, the University of

Barcelona in Spain, the University of Turin in Italy, Maastricht University in

the Netherlands and the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary

Medicine of Cluj-Napoca in Romania. Strong partnerships are also

developingwith the University of Geneva in Switzerland, Istanbul Technical

University in Turkey, Dongguk University in South Korea, Tongji University

in China and Manipal University in India.

Top-level teaching The selection criteria for the Master’s in BioHealth Computing are

demanding, as they single out twenty students from among 350 candidates.

Integrated within the Master’s in Engineering for Healthcare and Medicine

(EHM) at the Université Joseph Fourier, the course focuses on the second

year of the Master’s and is run over two semesters spent at two different

universities. Top-level teaching is provided in the first semester, while a

work placement within a Centre for Research and Industrial Innovation

or a university laboratory is planned for the second semester. This enables

students to put their knowledge into practice by conducting a multi-

disciplinary project. At the end of the Master’s course, the top students

have the option to pursue doctoral studies as part of a joint supervised

thesis offered by the partner universities.

A wide variety of careersWith this education, students can apply for project management roles

in the field of translational research, which entails converting biological

research into healthcare applications in the field of patient care or setting

up new therapeutic and diagnostic tools. The cross-disciplinary and

multicultural nature of the education provided enables students to

target a wide variety of careers within academic institutions, research

organisations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, health

agencies and regulatory bodies.

http://www.biohealth-computing.eu

BioHealth Computing: an international course for the optimisation of biomedical research

EDUCATION

The Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree programmes are top-levelcourses that draw on a network of internationally renownedEuropean universities and are offered based on highly specificcriteria. Candidate courses must be approved and internationallyopen (taught in English; high student mobility) and rely on astrong partnership with the world of science and socio-economics.

The Erasmus Mundus Programme

Production: Université Joseph Fourier

Public relation OfficeScientific coordination:

Yassine LakhnechChief Editor:

Muriel JakobiakEditor, interviews and Picture Editor:

Reine ParisGraphic design:

Gaëlle WulserPrinted on March 2014 by

Imprimerie Les Ecureuils

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B.P 53 - 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9Phone: +33 (0)4 76 51 46 00Fax: +33 (0)4 76 51 48 48

www.ujf-grenoble.fr

Grenoble : plans for the future in Research and Education

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