Scientific policy

In recent years Le Mans University has structured its research so that it is fully focussed on the academic landscape. This development principle has been implemented in two ways: firstly, by merging several of the institution’s laboratories whose activities were similar in nature; and secondly, by creating or consolidating multi-site units with Loire or Breton institutions.

A consequence of this restructuring has been to facilitate the operation of the RFI Institutes, which are central to this five-year contract. They are intended to develop the university's flagship themes by articulating the three points of the Research-Training-Innovation “knowledge triangle”. To achieve this, each Institute has its own specific governance which guides its actions in conjunction with the presidency.

The creation of these RFI Institutes is part of a broader framework, which goes beyond the institution and is a response to the expectations of the regulatory authorities and funders of Research. Indeed, they reflect the policy of the Ministry and the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research), as well as the European Union’s “Horizon 2020” directive. They also represent a response to the wishes of some of the institution's partners, in particular the Region and the Local Authorities, who would like to strengthen the University's role as a lever for economic and social development in its territory.

In the context of this strategic framework, and in full consultation with the research steering committee, the University follows a very proactive policy of support and assistance for the establishment and monitoring of projects, a policy which is applied by the Research Departments and IPREx (Innovation, Partnership, External Relations). This makes it possible to diversify public and private sources of funding for research, consolidate the networks and cooperation of our laboratories, and increase the profile of their work at both national and international level.