State innovation competition: over 20% of i-PhD winners are alumni

Winners who embody French innovation were honored at the October 14 ceremony of the State Innovation Competitions created to facilitate ecological, energy and industrial transitions. The ceremony rewarded no fewer than 147 prizewinners in three complementary categories: i-PhD, i-Lab, i-Nov. The i-PhD category, which concerns young researchers, includes more than 20% of prizewinners of foreign origin who have completed part of their studies in France.

As part of the France 2030 plan, the French government's three innovation competitions aim to "look ahead, invent tomorrow, prepare the future for generations to come". According to the French Ministry of Research, these initiatives "have become part of France's DNA". With France 2030, the French government is preparing to "take up the challenges of our century: decarbonizing our industry, strengthening our national sovereignty, transforming our economy in various strategic fields", and as such, the Innovation Competitions are a real springboard for innovators. They support researchers, as well as startups and companies, at different stages of their development and growth, offering them financial support and national recognition.

The 2024/2025 edition of these competitions, financed by the State to the tune of 74 million euros, rewarded a total of 147 winners who embody "the vitality of French innovation at the service of major ecological, energy and industrial transitions".

Mobility, energy, healthcare, agri-food, digital technology, critical metals and sustainable cities are the main areas of research and development illustrated by the projects of the winning researchers and young entrepreneurs. The Concours de l'Etat program is deployed on three levels: before, during and after the project.

This year's winners are divided into four themes: "Better living", "Better production", "Better healthcare" and "Better mastery of digital technologies".

Launched in 2019, the i-PhD program is aimed primarily at young researchers. Its aim is to promote their work to create "startups with a technological breakthrough, in conjunction with technology transfer structures, public research incubators and public research laboratories".

This year, 40 projects in the i-PhD category were rewarded, including 10 Grand Prix winners. In addition to the visibility offered by the Innovation Competitions, each winner will benefit from a support program designed to accelerate his or her project: individual and group coaching, participation in themed roundtables, meetings with other innovation competition winners...

Some of these 40 projects are ledbyalumni, young researchers who have completed all or part of their studies in France. According to the Ministry, 22.5% of applicants in this program are of foreign origin.

For example:

• the Alfred Audio project, led by Said Alvaraido-Marin, a young researcher of Venezuelan origin, PhD in Philosophy from Sorbonne University and post-doctoral fellow at Inria, who has co-created a start-up offering technical solutions for the professional audio industry, in particular a wireless audio transmission system;
• the Amylion project, led by Maria Cocina Fernández de Cordoba, a Spanish-born PhD in Materials Science from the University of Haute-Alsace and post-doctoral researcher at CNRS, who is presenting a project to develop "PFAS-free biosourced membranes, based on whey proteins, for gas humidification and dehumidification";
• the Biosap project, presented by Aldo Brojas , also of Spanish origin, who holds a doctorate in philosophy (specializing in botany) from the University of Clermont Auvergne and is a researcher at the Clermont Auvergne Innovation Center, focusing on strengthening "plant resistance to environmental constraints";
• the DHC Twin project, developed by Indian-born Shri Balaji Padmannabhan, a doctor in mathematics at ITM Atlantique, who is currently working on a "real-time digital twin for urban heating and cooling networks". Designed for players in the energy transition, it helps reduce energy losses, operating costs and carbon footprint;
• the Mendelgate project, proposed by Aleksei Makogon, a Russian-born researcher with a doctorate in philosophy from Université Paris Cité, who presents the Mendelgate research project, a "vision-language AI platform for the analysis of corrosion and material degradation";
• the Planifia project, led by Samer Alsamadi, a Lebanese-born engineer with a doctorate in industrial engineering from IMT Mines d'Albi, who is proposing to plan human resources in the call center sector by developing "a decision-support tool based on artificial intelligence";
• the Smartstep project, developed by Naima Al Abiad, also of Lebanese origin, a doctor in medical engineering from the Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 and the Université Gustave Eiffel, who is proposing a business creation project based on her thesis work, making it possible to "transform a smartphone into a medical device to assess the risk of falling in real-life conditions";
• the Thermaso project, led by Ali Saad, of Lebanese origin, who also holds a doctorate in materials chemistry from the Université Paris Saclay, and who is developing "hybrid materials for passive thermal management of lithium-ion batteries" for the CEA, with the aim of improving the safety, reliability and lifespan of batteries.

Complementing i-PhD, two other components complete the scheme, from the laboratory phase through to company creation and growth:

• i-Lab , supporting the creation of innovative technology companies, which this year rewarded 62 winners, including nine Grand Prix winners and 14 "Coup de Coeur" winners, selected from 473 applications, representing total support of 23 million euros;
• the i-Nov program, which contributes to the development of startups and SMEs, with 45 prizewinners recognized for their high-potential projects, offering support worth over 51 million euros.

• Presentation of the winners on the French Ministry of Research website
• The awards ceremony on the government information website