Malmö-Lyon one way! ENRIITC @Le Rendez-Vous Carnot

Did you think ENRIITC HQ would rest after the TechConnect Europe Innovation Conference ? Of course not! We flew straight from Sweden to France to get ready for Le Rendez-Vous Carnot.

For those who might have not heard about it before, the Les Rendez-Vous Carnot is an annual two-day event with over 1,000 exhibiting researchers and experts which provides a comprehensive ecosystem for R&D and innovation support for companies ranging from start-ups to large groups in their search for partners to make their innovation project a reality.

RDV Carnot is the meeting where French industrialists and academics expect to engage with each other in a mixed environment. It is a trade show focused upon networking and business meetings and gathers approximately 2,500 to 3,000 participants each year.  For the 14^th edition of Les Rendez-Vous Carnot, it was possible to take part physically (with the possibility to schedule meetings in advance) as well as online (by meeting future partners or potential new collaborators via targeted video-conference meetings).

In this context and during the second day of Les Rendez-Vous Carnot (Thursday 18 November 2021 at 14:00 CET), together with the French Research and Innovation Ministry (MESRI), the ESRF, ILL and other research infrastructures co-organised the “Research Infrastructures and Health” special conference event. This event forms the ESRF pilot event for industry engagement as supported by ENRIITC.

After a welcome speech and introduction conducted by Arnauld Leservot, the event kicked off with the presentation of research infrastructure case studies with their support towards COVID-19 and cancer. This topic was treated by Caroline Boudou, industry contact officer at ILL, who showcased how ESRF, SOLEIL and ILL responded and acted towards COVID-19 and cancer diseases.

Once the case studies session was over, the round table debate started with high-level decision makers and influencers from both industry and research infrastructures. The discussion mainly focussed on:

1) Discussing how research infrastructures can work closely with France Health and Innovation 2030;

2) Learning more about the research infrastructures impact on COVID-19 research and cancer research and how to enhance engagement with industry;

3) Understanding France’s strategic investment plan in health and disease.

Following the debate, the MESRI Scientific Director for Biology and Health concluded the event with a final speech. The participants were then invited to the networking cocktail.

The attendance of the event was impressive with approximately 100 participants, over 40 on site and the remainder connecting remotely.

The event was regarded as a success and could be repeated in a similar format for the other RI relevant topics.

The objectives of the ENRIITC project that this ESRF event at Les Rendez-Vous Carnot aligned the most with are the following:

• Raise awareness amongst industry for collaboration opportunities at research infrastructures and demonstrate impact (with the RIs case studies analysis on how health research infrastructures fight COVID-19 and cancer);
• Develop and refine strategies and best practices to foster their cooperation (not only by highlighting how much RIs can be a valuable source of future new industries, but also in terms of potential future partnerships which can bring a positive contribution to Health system at National, or even International, level).

A special thanks goes to Arnauld Leservot, the French Research and Innovation Ministry, all the participating research infrastructures, industry and Les Rendez-Vous Carnot organisation team for hosting our event Research Infrastructures and Health! It has been great for ENRIITC to participate in such an important national conference and to have the chance to welcome high level speakers and decision makers all driven by innovation, challenge and cooperation key factors.

We’re ready for the next move and #TogetherToImprove!