Research with a capital ®
Information science, mathematics, materials and processes, energy and mechanics, earth sciences… Mines Nancy is supported by six laboratories and two research teams whose activities are of interest to both small and medium-sized businesses and big industry players. A scientific platform few French Grandes Ecoles offer.
A scientific pool
Mines Nancy is supported by six laboratories, two research teams and two Technology Resource Centres whose activities are of interest to SMEs and the big names in industry: CRITT Metall 2T (Metallic Materials) and CIRTES (European Research Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Tooling). It has special links with the Institut Carnot Énergie et Environnement en Lorraine (ICÉEL), which assembles exceptional scientific, technical and human resources for the development of eco-technologies and eco-innovation. Finally, it can count on the resources in automation, computer science and mathematics offered by the Fédération Charles Hermite.
Cutting-edge investments
Since 2011, the school has benefited from Grand Emprunt funding for both laboratories (LABEX) and equipment (EQUIPEX) of excellence. Linked to Mines Nancy, the Institut Jean Lamour is one of the key players in the Metallurgy, Materials and Processes Technological Research Institute, a future major public-private global research centre which will engage up to 300 researchers.
Meanwhile, the GeoRessources laboratory is at the heart of the “Ressources 21” initiative. The aim of the project is to help locate and mine strategic metal deposits that have been overlooked until now, either because they are located in deep areas or because they have been reduced to trace amounts. Another LABEX winner, DAMAS – Design of Metal Alloys for Lighter Structures – combines the skills of the Institut Jean Lamour and the Laboratory for the Study of Microstructures and Materials Mechanics (LEM3). Its purpose: to design new materials with improved performance to meet ecological challenges such as making vehicles lighter, saving energy and reducing the number of cars.
New ideas
The Grand Emprunt is also helping to finance investment in the future supported by the GeoRessources laboratory. NANOIMAGESX, as it is called, will enable the development of research projects on advanced materials and biomedical sciences. Finally, the school is participating in the Initiatives of Excellence in Innovative Training (IDEFI):
- INNOVENT-E, the French institute of open and distance learning for the development of innovative SMEs and SMIs for export;
- UTOP, the Multipartner Open Technology University providing distance learning for senior engineers and technicians;
- IIFR, the Institute of Innovative Training through Research, which wants to reach the widest possible audience through new learning methods: learning by playing, learning by doing, learning by questioning…
Innovation platform
A final example. Supported particularly by CIRTES and INSIC in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, which hosts the engineering course specialising in design engineering, the INORI innovation platform has just been selected by the Ministry for the Recovery in Production and labelled by Lorraine’s Materalia and Fibres competitive clusters. It is distinctive for rapid product development through the use of intelligent tools for material shaping processes. This will enable manufacturers to secure and activate the launch of new products.
