The first phase of action for the Graduate Schools of Research (EUR) of the PIA3 (the third phase of the Investments for the Future Program) was launched by the ANR (French National Research Agency) at the start of 2017.
The initiative aims to bring together Master's and PhD programs, as well as one or more high-caliber research laboratories, ensuring that the projects cooperate strongly with research organizations, have a strong international outreach and maintain close links with economic players, wherever possible.

Two Graduate Schools of Research supported by the Université de Lyon (UdL) have been selected for the PIA3's first phase. The chosen projects will be funded for a maximum 10 years with around 15 million euros.

The two laureates

The H2O'Lyon Graduate School, "The Graduate School of Research for Water Science and Hydrosystems"

The H2O' project aims to build a research school for water science and hydrosystems which incorporates human and social sciences, physical sciences, engineering science and life sciences, in order to understand the challenges related to their function and management.

H2O'Lyon aims to develop innovative skills, approaches and tools which will make it possible to respond to the challenges involved in the holistic management of water.

This project is led by Christophe Douady, a professor at the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.

The MANUTECH-SLEIGHT Graduate School "Light-Surface Engineering, Health & Society"

The MANUTECH-SLEIGHT project aims to establish a world-renowned Graduate School by bringing together several disciplinary fields (surface science, optics and computer science) with their societal applications, in particular in energy and health.

The project draws on five Master's diplomas and two PhD diplomas from the Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne, the Université de Lyon, Lyon INSA and the Institut d'Optique Graduate School, as well as the strong foundations built by the EquipEx MANUTECH-USD (Ultrafast Surface Design) and the LabEx MANUTECH-SISE (Surface and Interface Science Engineering).
MANUTECH-SLEIGHT brings together laboratories from Saint-Étienne and Lyon specializing in optics and photonics, materials science, mechanical engineering , imaging, computer science and bio-engineering (orthopedics and ophthalmology, for example) and industrial partners (as well as the FrenchTech #Manutech label), who will provide researchers with the resources needed to design for user needs, to manufacture and characterize surfaces, and to assess the costs of real-life cases.

This project is led by F. Garrelie, Professor at the Université Jean Monnet.

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