Our actions

The NExT Initiative is planning the development of an action plan in research, training, innovation, student life… focused on two scientific priorities : Future Health and Future Industry. Most instruments are targeted on NExT’s scientific priority, nevertheless, some actions will be developed for all themes, and non thematic calls for the proposals will be published.

Future Industry

based on the scientific excellence in the field of process engineering and material characterization, ocean engineering and hydrodynamics, robotics, numerical modeling, simulation and optimisation, the objective of the NExT project is to develop the 2 following themes: – Advanced Manufacturing technologies: energy gained by the lightening of the structures (from metals to composites) is the first issue. Replacing raw materials associated with the oil industry by sustainable sources of materials (e.g. plant fiber) or recycled materials is a second issue. These gains and replacements require innovative processes. In the context of manufacturing, it’s necessary to think of an optimal relationship between man and robots from from both a socially acceptable standpoint and technicalities. – Ocean engineering: key issues are those of mastering technology that produces energy cheaply and sustainably, with the possibility of integrating multiple uses on a given sea site in order to optimise its potential. Concerning naval issues, we need in the near future to radically reduce consumption of energy whilst maintaining manoeuvrability in high seas.

Future Health

This priority focuses on 3 thematics: – Innovative biotherapies for treating a multitude of pathologies, which lead to or are characterized by the loss of organ function, tissues, cells or genes and thus require replacement (transplantation), repair, regeneration (cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine) or reprogramming (regenerative medicine); – Oncology and nuclear medicine, via theranostic approaches for treating different types of cancer: these associate targeted therapies (e.g. immunotherapies) and/or combined therapies (e;g. radio-immunotherapies, combined immunotherapies) and diagnostics (e.g. multimodal imaging) which lead, more and more, to curing patients or at least significantly lengthening their life survival. – These innovative diagnostic and  therapeutic approaches are supported by the advances in Precision Medicine: multiparametric approaches of massive databases made possible by new epidemiological, bio-informatics and biological tools that place the patient at the heart of a personalized patient care plan.

Internationalization of research

• The purpose of the international research thematic hubs is to establish over the long term an international network specialized in NExT’s priority areas. A hub brings together 4 to 6 partners and allows the mobility crossing among the sites, for the researchers and the students.ž

Talent development

• The objective of Junior research award is to strengthen the potential of the researchers at the beginning of their carrers through the funding of doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows, in addition to their teaching load reduction, as well as providing support by an experienced researcher.
• The Senior research award aim to promote the thematic reconversion of the researchers/experienced teacher-researchers to the scientific priorities of NExT, by providing support for the development of the new research projects (teaching load reduction, post-doctoral bursary…)

Encourage interdisciplinarity in research

• The Integrated research clusters : will enable the animation and the structuring of interdisciplinary research communities around the key topics for the development of NExT’s priority areas.
• The Interdisciplinary Projects : These research projects involvent scientists working in complementary fileds, over a period of one to four years.

In the field of training

• with the establishment of Graduate Schools and Graduate Programs
• with the development of international masters with high added value (100% in English)
• by strengthening the link Training – Research – Innovation in continuity Bachelor, Master, PhD (3+1)
• with the creation of a platform dedicated to online training
• with the development of excellence training that integrates a strong interdisciplinarity (Science /Humanities and Social Sciences)

In the field of innovation

• with the creation of a NExT Innovation Center dedicated to the development of collaborative creativity and entrepreneurship
• with the launch of calls for projects to support innovation and the development of partnerships between laboratories and industrial partners
• with the establishment of training and awareness programs for researchers who are candidates for business creation (in partnership with Deep Tech Founders)

In the field of student life

(under development)