United we stand! And scientists are only too aware. Consequently, researchers from both Upper and Lower Normandy have recently created four Research Federations. Acoustical physics and molecular chemistry took a head start, later to be joined by mathematics and, finally, materials.

So what exactly is a Research Federation?|Normandy’s four research federations|An eye-catching technical platform

So what exactly is a Research Federation?
It’s a CNRS-recognised structure reuniting all or part of CNRS research units or other research organisations in order to coordinate their scientific activities and to pool all or part of their resources. Participating research entities maintain their respective individuality. Federations are created for a four-year period.

Normandy’s four research federations
NORMANDY’S FOUR RESEARCH FEDERATIONS
IRMA - Research Institute on Advanced Materials, under the direction of Alain Menand.
• GPM (Material Physics Group in Rouen – CNRS, INSA Rouen, University of Rouen laboratory)
• CRISMAT (Crystallography and Material Science Laboratory in Caen- CNRS, Ensicaen, UCBN laboratory)
• CIMAP (Centre for Research on Ions, Materials and Photonics in Caen - CEA, CNRS, ENSICAEN, UCBN laboratory)
INC3M Normandy Institute of Molecular, Medicinal and Macromolecular Chemistry, under the direction of J. Maddaluno
• COBRA (Organic and Bio-organic Chemistry: Reactivity and Analysis in Rouen – CNRS, INSA Rouen, University of Rouen laboratory)
• LCMT (Laboratory for Molecular and Thio-organic Chemistry in Caen – CNRS, ENSICAEN, UCBN laboratory)
• URCOM (Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Research Unit in Le Havre)
• CERMN (Normandy Study and Research Centre on Medicinal Drugs in Caen)
FANO North West Acoustics Federation, under the direction of J-L Izbicki
• LOMC (Waves and Complex Media Laboratory in Le Havre - CNRS, University of Le Havre laboratory)
• LAUM (University of Maine Acoustics Laboratory in Le Mans)
• IEMN (Electronics, Micro-electronics and Nanotechnology Institute in Lille)
FRNM Normandie-Mathématiques Research Federation, under the direction of G. Grancher
• LMRS (Raphaël Salem Mathematics Laboratory in Rouen – CNRS, University of Rouen laboratory)
• LMNO (Nicolas Oresme Mathematics Laboratory in Caen – CNRS, UCBN laboratory)
• LMAH (Le Havre Applied Mathematics Laboratory)
• LMI (INSA Rouen Mathematics Laboratory)

An eye-catching technical platform
The materials research federation, IRMA, has created a technical platform to enable its three member laboratories to share equipment and to make complementary investments. The purchase of two electronic microscopes - each offering different properties, of an atom probe and an FIB (focus ion beam) – a device capable of preparing samples on an atomic scale – are all scheduled within the framework of the Upper and Lower Normandy State-Region Project Contracts signed in 2007. “Three years from now, we will have doubled the value of our equipment and, more importantly, we will have the best analysis capacity on an atomic scale in the world.” A rank that is sure to offer new exposure and to attract many foreign researchers. 30% of the equipment’s availability will be reserved for outside researchers. “Since 2009, the CNRS has been developing a new network (METSA for Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atom Probe) comprising seven of such technological platforms throughout France. The idea is that everyone makes their best equipment available to all. And in return, the CNRS and the CEA partly fund its maintenance.” The advantage for research federations is that they can attract and welcome prestigious teams with which they can exchange their research results and share operational costs.

Recently, researchers have been tending towards joining their forces. “It’s a general trend throughout France,” confirms Gérard Grancher, Director of the brand new Normandy mathematics federation. And it’s even a necessity for most laboratories. “Research federations often offer an opportunity to increase national and international exposure, to respond to calls for proposals by achieving critical mass, to access national or international funding, or even to offer a comprehensive range of skills to industrial partners,” explains Frédéric Faure, CNRS Regional Delegate. In Lower Normandy, four of such federations (see boxed article) have been created in the space of less than three years. The youngest of them is called Normandie-Mathématiques. “We weren’t accustomed to working together but we had been considering the prospect for a long time,” adds the federation’s director. The creation of a PRES (Research and Higher Education Cluster) offered an excellent opportunity to bring our idea to fruition.

“Federations offer an opportunity for increased exposure”

“We were looking to propose a unique contact for the PRES Normandie-Université.” Joining forces will enable them to develop partnerships and to facilitate student flow among their various laboratories. And it’s also an opportunity to more assertively communicate research in mathematics to elected representatives. “For example, we would like to take part in State-Region Project Contracts,” adds Gérard Grancher. The aim of Normandie-Mathématiques (110 lecturer-researchers, 6 CNRS researchers and around sixty PhD students) is to promote any joint scientific initiative (welcoming foreign mathematicians, symposiums, conferences). For the second year running, a one-day conference was organised in Caen on the 10th of June. Each team presented part of its research work. “Concurrently, a round table was organised on how to popularise mathematics terminology. It’s one of our leading concerns, in particular to facilitate the emergence of scientific vocations,” he goes on to explain.
The materials research federation was created in 2008, reuniting the CRISMAT in Caen and the GMP ⁽¹⁾ in Rouen; the team has recently been further enhanced with the integration of the CIMAP ⁽²⁾. Hence, Normandy’s skills in the field of hard materials, i.e. a total of around 400 colleagues, are now reunited. The key aim of the federation is to share resources. “As our knowledge progressively develops, research on materials requires increasingly sophisticated, and proportionately expensive, equipment,” explains Alain Menand, Director of the Research Institute on Advanced Materials (IRMA). The atomic scale at which researchers work today demands high-performance instruments, the cost of which can vary from €1.5M to €3M. A major investment to which extremely high maintenance costs need to be added, since these instruments can only be handled by specialised engineers. “Consequently, we have rationalised our investments by creating a technological platform (see boxed article),” adds Alain Menand. Furthermore, the arrival of the CIMAP has reinforced the IRMA’s research theme on nuclear materials. “These skills have led to the initiation of the GENESIS project which includes the creation of a nuclear materials study laboratory within the GANIL facility. The ultimate aim is to see the three laboratories, along with the CEA Saclay team, working on two key research themes. The initial objective is to assess the possibility of safely using today’s nuclear power plants for the coming 20 or 30 years, and, consequently, to conduct research on the resistance of existing nuclear materials. The second objective involves the design of materials for ITER ⁽³⁾”, explains Alain Menand, Director of the IRMA.

(1) Material Physics Group.

(2) Centre for Research on Ions, Materials and Photonics

(3) International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor – prototype of a nuclear fusion reactor, currently under construction near Cadarache (France).

Frederic Faure
CNRS Regional Delegate for Normandy
Tel: 02 31 43 45 00

Alain Menand
Director of the IRMA
Tel: 02 32 95 50 30

Gérard Grancher
Director of Normandie-Mathématiques
Tel: 02 32 95 52 68

Send post as PDF to