From 26 to 30 October 2026, the Artem campus is hosting the Nancy-Metz Mathematics, Industry and Society Study Week (SEMES). Over five days, early-career researchers in mathematics will work on real-world problems submitted by companies and socio-economic organisations.
A week to bring mathematical research and the socio-economic world closer together
SEMES study weeks encourage exchanges between mathematics laboratories and a wide range of organisations: start-ups, SMEs, large companies, university hospitals, joint research units, non-profits and local authorities. The principle is simple. Each partner brings a concrete problem that calls for an innovative mathematical approach. A team of early-career researchers then works on it for a week.
The Nancy edition is organised by Mines Nancy and the Institut Élie Cartan de Lorraine (IECL), together with Inria and AMIES, the French Agency for Mathematics in Interaction with Business and Society.
This year’s topics are:
- Topic 1: Rethinking road infrastructure management in Meurthe-et-Moselle, proposed by the Colas group
- Topic 2: Uses of biomass: mathematics for an expert decision-support tool, proposed by The Shift Project
- Topic 3: Reconciling heterogeneous financial data under partial information, proposed by Murex
How does a SEMES work?
- Monday 26 October: the partners present their problems and discuss them with the participants. The working groups are formed on this day.
- Tuesday to Thursday: each group of 4 to 5 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers works on its topic. Experienced researchers support them, but each group is entirely free to choose its own approach.
- Friday 30 October: the groups give oral presentations of their progress to the partners.
Who can take part?
The week is open to PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and temporary teaching and research fellows (ATER) in mathematics, whatever their field of research and whether or not it matches the proposed topics. Participants must obtain their research supervisor’s approval before registering. Each confirmed registration commits the participant to being in Nancy for the entire week. Free accommodation is provided for participants who do not live in the Nancy area.
>> Registration and information: seme-nancy.sciencesconf.org
Applied mathematics: an area of expertise at Mines Nancy and the Institut Élie Cartan de Lorraine (IECL)
Hosting this week is a natural extension of one of the school’s scientific focus areas. This area is led by the faculty of the Industrial Engineering and Applied Mathematics department and by the Institut Élie Cartan de Lorraine (IECL) research laboratory.
At a glance:
- What: Mathematics, Industry and Society Study Week (SEMES)
- When: Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026
- Where: Mines Nancy, Artem campus, Nancy
- Who: PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and ATER fellows in mathematics
- Registration: seme-nancy.sciencesconf.org
