The Grand Est HYDREOS Water Cluster and the three SATTs (Technology Transfer and Commercialization Companies) in the Grand Est region have decided to pool their resources in order to provide new and concrete responses to the innovation needs of companies in the water sector, based on solutions developed through public research. This partnership will enable the identification and sharing of innovative technologies resulting from public research in the region, as well as the pooling of professional expertise (intellectual property, marketing, etc.) and market data.
From left to right: At the signing of their partnership agreement in Strasbourg, Caroline DREYER, President of SATT Conectus, Anne RIBAYROL-FLECH, President of the Grand Est HYDREOS Water Cluster, Catherine GUILLEMIN, President of SATT SAYENS, and Fabrice LEFEBVRE, President of SATT Nord.
"Think globally, act locally"
Because water is a major global issue,
- that its control over the supply of drinking water to populations in a context of growing urban development raises environmental, energy, and economic issues,
- that with an estimated consumption of nearly 1,500 billion m³ in 2030[1], industry is the second largest consumer of water in the world after agriculture,
- that information technologies—which by their very nature permeate all sectors—can provide answers through high value-added solutions (IoT, AI, optimization of network and infrastructure management, etc.),
... SATT SAYENS, CONECTUS, and SATT NORD, by sourcing the best innovations from public research laboratories within their respective areas, aim to work with the Grand Est HYDREOS water cluster to collectively form a powerful force capable of responding to the challenges facing the water sector.
HYDREOS and the three SATTs have therefore formalized a partnership through an agreement signed
on February 19, 2020. Keen to be committed players, the SATTs work daily with public research laboratories to identify technological inventions that will not only meet the innovation needs of companies in the short or medium term, but also have a positive impact on society and the environment.
Ongoing cooperation: a shared roadmap, regular project reviews, and opportunities
Beyond building a joint cooperation roadmap, the SATT and Pôle teams will share their business expertise (intellectual property, marketing, etc.), knowledge of technologies, and markets through :
- reviews of innovative projects aimed at identifying collaborative projects and/or available expertise;
- technology reviews aimed at sharing portfolios of promising technologies that could meet the needs of companies in the cluster;
- dissemination of innovative project opportunities to companies within the cluster as part of a co-maturation/co-design program that may be of interest to companies within the cluster (co-design, licensing, etc.);
- participation in or organization of joint events aimed at raising awareness of technological innovation issues in the sector, in order to facilitate meetings between researchers and companies and accelerate technology transfer.
The aim isto boost the competitiveness of existing businesses ( SMEs, mid-cap companies, etc.) and contribute to the emergence of deep tech startups in the regions.
Anne RIBAYROL-FLESCH, President of the Grand Est HYDREOS Water Cluster and France Water Team, and Luc BERTOSSI, Managing Director of the HYDREOS Cluster, are delighted with this enhanced cooperation with the Grand Est SATTs: "We are convinced that this partnership with the three SATTs—SAYENS, NORD, and CONECTUS—will provide better support for innovation and talented scientists in public research in the Grand Est region, who are making exceptional discoveries that lead to new technologies, in their industrial and commercial development."
Catherine GUILLEMIN, Caroline DREYER, and Fabrice LEFEBVRE, respectively presidents of SATT SAYENS, SATT CONECTUS, and SATT NORD, collectively confirm their enthusiasm for this partnership: "For us at SATT, who are used to working closely with each other, but also with local players, it was natural to join forces with a partner such as the HYDREOS Cluster, which also has this approach in its DNA. We hope that this partnership is only the first step towards closer ties with the entire water sector in France through France Water Team, for which Pôle HYDREOS naturally plays a "bridgehead" role.
[1] Source: Grand Est Water Cluster HYDREOS