https://www.cea.fr
CEA is a R&D governmental agency whose field of expertise applies to energy, health, transport, security, defence, and ICT. CEA has more than 15.000 researchers working throughout France.
The Robotics Unit inside CEA LIST provides the technological expertise in robotics for inspection and maintenance. The Robotics Unit dates for more than 40 years. Specialized originally in remote handling for operations in hazardous environments (nuclear, underwater applications), the Unit focuses on manufacturing applications. It also holds an historical background in robotics for Healthcare applications including assistive, surgical robotics and rehabilitation robotics. Its main research foci carry on human robot collaboration (co-working). The technological researches cover mechatronics and the conception of actuators for the design of innovative robotics systems, robot control, supervision and user assistances (force, haptic, vision, graphic, immersive feedback) aiming at an efficient human robots collaboration in all domains of applications.
CEA is deeply involved in innovation and development of the European industry. CEA is the most innovative public research organization in Europe and 2nd worldwide according to CLARIVATE ranking[1].
The Unit has regular collaborations with industrialists in France and abroad, supporting large groups or SMEs.
CEA is at the origin of the creation of several spin Offs like Haption[2] (Haptics devices) and iSYBOT[3] (collaborative robotics), DIOTA[4] (solutions for manufacturing), Light and Shadow[5] (virtual reality).
CEA has a strong culture for defending Intellectual Property Rights. CEA holds a large number and panel of patents related to robotics and ICT. CEA's policy is to transfer licences on the patents it can hold, to the industry. The objectives of CEA regarding IP, are to protect knowledge and offer a context to build trust with industries using CEA’s licences.
The Robotics Unit is composed of 50 people, half being permanent. Most of the personnel are experts in robotics full time researchers in robotics from PhD students to senior researchers and project managers. The Unit also holds senior business developers who develop the technical and commercial activity and the bilateral links with industrialists
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[1] Clarivate top 100 innovators, https://clarivate.com/top-100-innovators/the-top-100/cea-french-alternative-energies-and-atomic-energy-commission/
[2] https://www.haption.com/en/
[3] https://www.isybot.com/en/
[4] https://diota.com/en/diota
[5] https://light-and-shadows.com/fr/
The form of the DIH Paris-Saclay and the team
The Paris-Saclay DIH is an alliance gathering two legal entities: CEA and SYSTEMATIC. The DIH might expand in the future. Each entity has its own domain of competences and work together to stimulate innovation. The two entities are located in the Paris region and have offices on the same site (Nano Innov).
Paris-Saclay Digital Innovation Hub for Inspection and Maintenance Robotics is relies on two entities:
Services
Paris-Saclay DIH for robotics and inspection and maintenance proposes a set of services to favour digitizing of industry and develop innovation in different sectors of Inspection and Maintenance of Infrastructures. DIH Paris-Saclay holds a set of technologies and expertise in robotics and related technologies that are not available on the market. The services proposed by the DIH are aiming at creating the framework facilitating deployment of technologies, building connections and trust and understand needs of industrialists in order to promote the economic development.
The geographical scope is Paris region first. It extends to the national territory, Europe and has the capacity to address the international market.
Business development[1]
Category: Incubator/accelerator support
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Dedicated to spin off and start up promoting CEA technologies.
Support on business creation, Accompanying the creation of start-ups, Protecting research results, advising on IPR management, Carry out strategic analyses, Find scientific and technical information, business intelligence, Set up industrial and collaborative contracts
Format (how?): Meetings, conference calls
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in business creation, in IPR management
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in business development
Financial charge for customer: Free for Systematic members
Funding, business plan:
Funding opportunities investigation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Dedicated to organization interested in promoting CEA technologies or willing to do collaborative research with CEA.
Advice on support for funding according to maturity level. Advice on opportunities offered by European research and innovation programmes, regional sources of funding, tax refund mechanism and private investors. Dedicated to spin off and start up promoting CEA technologies.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert, experts in IPR management
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in funding of research, development and innovation in robotics
Funding, business plan: Subsidised by the DIH
Hands-on training
Category: Skills and education
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Training of operators, awareness-raising on teleoperation, and robotics
Format (how?): Courses and hands on training on equipment available at the DIH. On demand
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical expert
Involvement, effort from DIH: One day with participation of experts, supply of training reference material
Financial charge for customer: paying services
Funding, business plan: Rates according to the trainer's profile
Research, development and innovation opportunities
Category: Project development
Advising on technological research, development and innovation activity. Elaboration of an action plan for R&D&I with milestones, deliverables, agreement on the respective role of stakeholders and on the final delivery.
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business developer, technical expert
Involvement, effort from DIH: Meetings with experts in research, development and innovation in robotics
Financial charge for customer: Free
Hosting to Spin off and Start up
Category: Offering housing
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Accompaniment and hosting follow-up of spin offs or Start-ups willing to promote CEA technologies, patents, licences.
Format (how?): On demand
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitator
Involvement, effort from DIH: Office space, workspace, located in DIH premises at CEA Nano-Innov, Internet infrastructure
Financial charge for customer: Paying service
Funding, business plan: Rates according to needs
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[1] regarding CEA technologies
Brokerage, Matchmaking
Category: Ecosystem service, Community building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Organisation of meetings between players in the value chain to make demand and offer sides meet, share ideas and analyse opportunities
Format (how?): One event per year at the DIH or online with presentations from stakeholders, visit of the DIH, networking lunch when on site and dialogue b2b space
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Business facilitators, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: One day event with participation of 3 to 4 experts from the DIH, supply of communication material
Awareness creation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Robotics awareness course for decision-makers
Format (how?): Workshop with hands-on approach, webinar
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: One half day event with senior experts from DIH providing the course
Dissemination
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Communication about the offer of services of the DIH. Dissemination of results and key facts in local language and in English
Format (how?): Information distributed through e.g. web sites, social media, newsletters, mailing
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Experts in communication
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication teams belonging to the organizations involved in the DIH at CEA and SYSTEMATIC
Ecosystem building
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Putting people in touch with professional, sectorial associations certification bodies, public and private investors in region and in Europe
Format (how?): Reference information provided through the DIH web portal. Possible contact with experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Access to networks, clusters, associations and federations to which the organizations of the DIH belong
Market research, market awareness, market/technology trends
Category: Ecosystem service, Strategy development
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): provision of contact to experts in market analysis, market data held in the network and at the DIH at European and International level
Format (how?): Conference call, meeting with business developers at the DIH
Profile of DIH contact (who?): contact to experts in market analysis
Involvement, effort from DIH: One hour with experts
Financial charge for customer: paying service
Technical advising
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Advising on possible usage of robotics and automation
Format (how?): Conference calls, bilateral meetings
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical and application experts
Resources and knowledge sharing
Category: Ecosystem service, Ecosystem learning
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Organizing access and informing about resources, databases, seminars, workshops, conferences, field trips, newsletters and other information of interest
Format (how?): Reference information provided through the DIH and RIMA network web portal. Possible contact with experts for advanced advices
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Systematic cluster Operational team (communication, innovation)
Involvement, effort from DIH: Involvement of the communication teams of the organizations involved in the DIH at CEA and SYSTEMATIC
Funding, business plan: Mixed Public and private funding
DIH network promotion, Promotion of the offer
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Promote both the DIH and its members
Format (how?): Organization of roadshows, exhibitions, dissemination, and otherwise represent interests (e.g., suppliers, end-users)
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Communication, business and technical experts
Research and development collaboration
Category: Strategic RDI
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research aiming at reaching TRL 5, removal of doubts, specifications, research and development, validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Collaborative research with several partners in EU on 2 years or more
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Project manager, technical experts
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals. Long term participation (over 2 years) of several experts from the DIH for technical research and development in robotics
Funding, business plan: Funded by European or national research programmes
Innovation projects: technology demonstrators, proof of concepts
Category: Contract research
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Research and development aiming at reaching TRL 6, application of existing technologies, validation in laboratory
Format (how?): Bilateral projects from one to a few years
Financial charge for customer: Paying
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, private investors
Proof of concept, prototyping, commercialisation/industrialisation, small series production
Category: Technical support on scale-up
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration in real environment or in realistic conditions. Adaptation of existing technologies to specific use case
Format (how?): Bilateral projects from one to several months
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for development and innovation
Funding, business plan: Funded by bilateral contracts, European or national innovation programmes, investors
Lab facilities, equipment for lease/use (sensors, robots, robot tooling, etc.), rapid prototyping
Category: Provision of technology infrastructure
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): Demonstration with equipment held in the lab. Realization of interfaces with DIH equipment. Provision of test benches (for actuation, perception, etc.)
Format (how?): Conducting experiments with the assistance of CEA personnel
Involvement, effort from DIH: Support from experts in the submission of European or national proposals Participation of several experts from the DIH for maturation
Financial charge for customer: Paying, financial charge based on daily rate and depending on the personnel involved, equipment used at the DIH and adaptation needed
Certification, product demonstration & testing, comparison of products
Category: Testing and validation
Description of activity, value proposition (what?): For testing and benchmarking, CEA holds and can offer access to a set of dedicated to infrastructures to make assessment in realistic conditions and in particular for applications in nuclear sector. CEA can also organize access to infrastructure in other sectors of applications.
Format (how?): Conducting experiments with the assistance of CEA personnel following evaluation protocols. Provision of metrics and tools for benchmarking the utility, usability, effectiveness
Profile of DIH contact (who?): Technical experts. For certification issues, CEA will provide contacts to experts of CETIM[1] the Technical Centre for Mechanical Industry.
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[1] https://m.cetim.fr/#