A Model Partnership Reaches a New Milestone

For many years, the UGA and the ESRF are developing close collaborations in a wide range of scientific fields. With the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two institutions are taking this partnership to a new level by structuring their cooperation around a shared goal: to bring together knowledge, talent, and infrastructure to advance scientific understanding.

The agreement provides for the development of joint initiatives focused on several strategic areas:

• enhance students' training in the use of state-of-the-art scientific instruments;
• develop doctoral dissertations, particularly as part of the France 2030 GATES (Grenoble Attractiveness and Excellences) program;
• strengthen collaboration on research infrastructure and scientific data strategy;
• promote partnerships with industry stakeholders to accelerate the transfer of knowledge into innovation.

The MoU also includes an agreement between the ESRF and the French Alps Anatomy Laboratory (LADAF) around the Human Organ Atlas project, which harnesses the synchrotron's unique capabilities to produce unprecedented images of human organs and open up new avenues for biomedical research.

A shared goal: understanding to take better action

During the signing ceremony, Yassine Lakhnech, president of the University of Grenoble Alpes, highlighted the significance of this partnership This ambition is being realized in three complementary areas: training the scientists of tomorrow, developing cutting-edge research projects, and bridging the gap between basic research, innovation, and the socio-economic world. The partnership will thus strengthen interactions between teams at UGA and ESRF, while offering students and doctoral candidates privileged access to one of the world’s most advanced scientific facilities.

A unique ecosystem dedicated to science and innovation

This partnership highlights the uniqueness of the Grenoble ecosystem, where the university, national research organizations, major scientific infrastructure, and industrial partners work closely together to tackle the major challenges of our time.

By strengthening their partnership, the UGA and the ESRF reaffirm their commitment to making Grenoble a place where the knowledge of tomorrow is built, where the talent that will drive it is nurtured, and where scientific discoveries are transformed into innovations that benefit society.