Valeo Group | 8 Jul, 2022
| 5 min
Valeo and the CNRS sign a framework agreement to accelerate research and innovation in future mobility
Today, Valeo and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) signed an initial five-year framework agreement outlining their cooperation on shared research programs. The partnership aims to accelerate the development of innovations that will lead to cleaner and safer mobility for both people and goods.
The new framework agreement includes the launch of new research projects and theses and may also lead to the creation of joint laboratories.
Antoine Petit, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CNRS, commented: “This framework agreement is a natural next step in the trust-based relationship between Valeo and the laboratories of CNRS and its partners. By drawing up a common roadmap built around shared scientific objectives, we will be able go even further than before. For the CNRS, strengthening this relationship with the world of business and taking an interest in industrial issues is key to solving the major challenges that our society faces“.
The automotive industry has been of strategic interest to the CNRS since the end of 2019: 1,000 researchers are working on related projects across 200 laboratories, and 100 start-ups have already been created in the sector, either by or in association with laboratories under the umbrella of the CNRS, including some 30 joint laboratories set up with corporate sponsors. The laboratories of the CNRS and its partners are organized around key themes such as the RS2E network1 (17 laboratories), the French Research network on Hydrogen energy (29 laboratories), the Seeds research group (32 laboratories) dedicated to electrical engineering and the Cybersecurity research group dedicated to data protection.
The research conducted by CNRS and Valeo will focus on sustainable design, artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, cybersecurity, data science, inclusive cities and new energies.
Christophe Périllat, Valeo’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “In the next ten to fifteen years, the mobility space as a whole is set to undergo the biggest transformation in its history, and this transition to cleaner and safer vehicles is essential. In fifteen years, vehicles will be fundamentally different from today’s vehicles. Valeo’s mission is to develop these technologies, ensuring they are accessible to everyone, while achieving carbon neutrality. The framework agreement with the CNRS, one of the world’s most renowned research institutions, will enable us to augment our engineering with scientific knowledge.“
Innovation is central to Valeo’s growth strategy. The Group has been ranked as the world’s leading French patent applicant, with 1,777 patents filed in one year (2020), according to the list published by France’s INPI intellectual property institute on June 14, 2022. A full 92% of Valeo’s original equipment sales are generated by technologies that help to reduce CO2 emissions and improve safety. And 45% of last year’s order intake was for technologies that didn’t exist three years prior.
In February 2022, Valeo announced its Move Up plan, the value creation strategy at the heart of the four megatrends disrupting mobility (electrification, ADAS, reinvention of the interior experience and lighting). The framework agreement signed with the CNRS further illustrates how Valeo is accelerating innovation to achieve more intelligent mobility.
1 The research network on electrochemical energy storage, created by the CNRS in 2011.
About the CNRS
The French National Centre for Scientific Research is one of the most recognized and renowned public research institutions in the world. For more than 80 years, it has continued to attract talent at the highest level and to nurture multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects at the national, European and international levels. Geared towards the public interest, it contributes to the scientific, economic, social and cultural progress of France The CNRS is above all 32,000 women and men, more than 1,000 laboratories in partnership with universities and other higher education institutions bringing together more than 120,000 employees and 200 professions that advance knowledge by exploring the living world, matter, the Universe, and the functioning of human societies. The close relationship it establishes between its research missions and the transfer of acquired knowledge to the public makes it today a key player in innovation in France and around the world. Partnerships with industry are at the heart of its technology transfer policy, as illustrated by the nearly 200 joint structures set up with major companies and the 100 or so start-ups created each year, bearing witness to the economic potential of its research. The CNRS also provides access to research findings and data, and this sharing of knowledge targets many audiences: scientific communities, the media, decision-makers, economic players and the general public.
For more information, visit: www.cnrs.fr
CNRS Media Relations: priscilla.dacher@cnrs.fr
About Valeo
As a technology company and partner to all automakers and new mobility players, Valeo is innovating to make mobility cleaner, safer and smarter. Valeo enjoys technological and industrial leadership in electrification, driving assistance systems, reinvention of the interior experience and lighting. These four areas are vital to the transformation of mobility and will drive the Group’s growth in the coming years. Valeo is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.
Valeo in figures: In 2021, the Group generated sales of 17.3 billion euros and invested 12% of its original equipment sales in R&D. At December 31, 2021, Valeo had 184 plants, 21 research centers, 43 development centers and 16 distribution platforms, and employed 103,300 people in 31 countries worldwide.
www.valeo.com
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