Platforms and major facilities

The University of Lille and its partners have pooled their major scientific facilities and infrastructures to make them more accessible to the academic and private sectors.

Platforms

The University of Lille has accredited 50 platforms, which are organised around 10 themes and made accessible to the academic and private sectors to accelerate tomorrow’s discoveries.

National and international platforms

The platforms are key to positioning the Lille site at the highest international level and strengthening research partnerships with the socio-economic and cultural sectors. They cover all research topic areas in Lille. Many are recognised as facilities of excellence and are involved in national and international networks.

Expertise for the public and private sectors

The platforms provide the expertise of researchers, engineers and technicians in the use of cutting-edge equipment and the provision of services. They also provide access to databases and the computing resources needed to process them.

The topic areas

  • Animal Housing Facilities Multi-site platform for rodents and aquatic models

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    platforms

    • PLEHTA
    • EOPS
    • PHExMAR

    Competencies

    • Organisms, models and resources for research in biology and health
    • LNSB2 – LNSB3 containment laboratory, infectious models
    • Breeding and housing mice in ESPO environment
    • Aquatic models: fish and amphibians
    • ESPO status rat housing
    • Behavioural and metabolic exploration

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • ARIADNE Criblage High-throughput, high-content screening platform

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    Competencies

    • The HCS (high-content, high-throughput screening) robotised platform specialises in multiparametric screening based on photon detection. The screening process can be carried out in biosafety Level 2 and 3 containment laboratories;
    • Dedicated HTS (high-throughput screening) platform for automated screening and multimodal reading.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Florence Leroux

    Technical director: Manoly Wacheux

    Contact:
    Campus Pasteur Lille
    Bât. Institut de Biologie de Lille (HCS)
    Bât. Debeyre (HTC)
    Lille
    florence.leroux[at]pasteur-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • Bilille Lille bioinformatics, bioanalysis and biostatistics platform

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    Competencies

    • Omics data analysis (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metagenomics, epigenomics, etc.)
    • Annotation of genes, genomes and proteins
    • Phylogeny
    • Systems biology
    • Structural bioinformatics
    • Integrative biology
    • Analysis of high-content screening data

    Missions

    • Supporting user units’ scientific projects
    • Developing analysis pipelines and databases
    • Training
    • Providing high-performance computing resources
    • Science and technology events

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Guillemette Marot

    Technical co-directors: Pierre Péricard and Jimmy Vandel

    Contact:
    Cité Scientifique - Bât. ESPRIT
    Campus Pasteur - Bât. Calmette
    Campus Hospitalo-universitaire - Pôle recherche, Faculté de Médecine
    bilille@univ-lille.fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Partner: Inria Lille Nord Europe

    Website

  • BICeL BioImaging Center Lille platform

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    Competencies
    It brings together resources and expertise in cellular, tissue and small animal imaging (rodent and aquatic models), cytometry and flow imaging, and photonic and electron microscopy

    • Theoretical and practical training in specific techniques for platform users
    • Assistance with sample preparation and selection of the right system for the scientific problem
    • Assistance with data acquisition
    • Help with data analysis and interpretation
    • Management of all or part of a study project (preparation, immunolabelling, data acquisition, data analysis) as part of our service offering
    • At biosafety level 2: 1 cytometer analyser, 1 cytometer sorter, 1 spinning disk with live SR
    • 3D deconvolution image restoration service
    • Expertise in high-resolution intravital imaging of small animals: a multiphoton confocal microscope (optical chamber and explant imaging) and a Lumina XR small animal whole-body imager available in the animal facility

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Frank Lafont

    Contact:
    Campus Hospitalo-universitaire
    Campus Pasteur
    Campus Cité scientifique
    frank.lafont[at]cnrs[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of:University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • GO@L Genomics platform

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    platforms

    • The Transcriptomics and Applied Genomics (TAG) platform specialises in microbiology applications
    • The Functional and Structural Genomics (FSG) platform, which is part of the Lille University Hospital’s Centre de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, is developing its expertise in human genomics associated with targeted pathologies (cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, etc.) and the study of animal models.

    Competencies

    • ‘Whole genome’ genomics: WGS, WES, amplicon-seq, Tn-seq, CGH-arrays
    • Transcriptomics: RNA-seq, sRNA-seq, dRNA-seq, NGS-RACE, qRT-PCR, RNA-seq full-length, micro-arrays, DGE, single-cell
    • Metagenomics: targeted amplicon-seq 16S-ITS

    From conducting experiments to supporting teams, the platform provides expertise in processing the generated data:

    • Genomic assembly, characterisation and annotation, variant detection and annotation, Mendelian transmission studies
    • Differential expression analysis, unsupervised analysis
    • Taxonomic assignment, diversity assessment (α and β), dysbiosis measurement

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific co-directors:Martin Figeac and David Hot

    Contact:
    Institut Pasteur de Lille (TAG)
    Centre de Biologie Pathologie, Lille University Hospital (GFS)
    genomique-plbs[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • Life imaging and functions (LIFE)

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 - US 41 PLBS

    Rodent platform

    Equipment

    • Imaging area equipped with a 7 T micro-MRI scanner
    • Small animal micro-PET-CT
    • Behavioural and functional explorations enabling evaluation of rodent pathophysiological models in terms of cognitive abilities, motor disorders and traits of anxiety/depression

    Expertise

    • Quantifying biological phenomena using relaxometry, scattering and MR spectroscopy
    • Morphological exploration of organs using MRI
    • Data processing and development of IT tools for preclinical medical imaging

    Human platform

    Equipment

    • 3T MRI dedicated to research activities on the premises of Lille University Hospital
    • MRI-compatible EEG system
    • Esys fMRI system
    • Computing cluster

    Expertise

    • Demonstrating the structural organisation of the brain: volume and surface analysis, morphometry, diffusion/tractography imaging mapping, perfusion imaging
    • Extracting functional organisation: task-specific activation, brain at rest: brain networks, functional connectome
    • Statistical analysis, data processing and development of IT tools (statistics, signal processing or artificial intelligence) related to imaging.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Jean-Pierre Pruvo

    Technical director: Renaud Lopes

    Contact:
    Campus Hospitalo-Universitaire, Pôle recherche, Faculté de médecine (rodent platform)
    Hôpital Salengro, CHU de Lille (human platform)
    renaud.lopesuniv-lillefr

    Under the administrative supervision of:University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • PAGés / P3M Glycomics and proteomics platform

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    Platforms

    • PAGés: the only French platform dedicated entirely to analysing the structure of glycans and complex sugars
    • P3M: specialised platform for proteomic and modified protein analysis

    PAGés competencies

    • Glycan structure analysis
    • Multi-technique approaches: NMR, mass spectrometry, gas and liquid chromatography and sugar chemistry

    P3M competencies

    • Proteome identification through nanoLC-MSMS and use of databases
    • Quantification with or without marking
    • Study of post-translational modifications (PTM)

    Active collaboration between PAGés and P3M enables us to develop a comprehensive analysis of glycans, peptidoglycans and the whole glycoprotein. A glycoproteomic approach to the study of biological molecules

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific and technical co-directors: Nao Yamakawa and Jean-Michel Saliou

    Contact
    Cité scientifique, Bât. C9 (PAGés)
    Campus Pasteur, Bât. Roux (P3M)
    platform-pagesuniv-lillefr (PAGés)
    jean-michel.salioupasteur-lillefr (P3M)

    Under the administrative supervision of:University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • Eurasport Translational research platform on the interactions between physical activity, sport and health

    Competencies

    • Energy balance: physical activity (quantitative and qualitative), nutrition, body composition
    • Performance assessment
    • Motor skills assessment
    • Physical activity and energy expenditure assessment
    • Respiratory function assessment
    • Cardio-circulatory and vascular function assessment
    • Biological analysis
    • Physical activity/training sessions and programmes: healthy and pathological populations
    • Measurements on site and under ecological conditions
    • Motor exploration laboratory for mouse models: in vivo and in vitro functional approaches
    • Muscular physiology: cellular and molecular, in vivo and in vivo functional approaches

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Serge Berthoin

    Technical director: Adrien Combes

    Contact:
    413 Avenue Eugène Avinée
    59120 Loos

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille

    Website

  • LIGAN PM Lille’s next-generation genome sequencing platform

    Competencies

    • Illumina sequencers
    • Robotic library preparation
    • High-throughput sequencing
    • Transcriptomics project
    • Methylation analysis
    • Bioinformatics and biostatistics analysis

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Amélie Bonnefond

    Technical director: Bénédicte Toussaint

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University Hospital

    Contact:
    EGID
    Faculté de Médecine HENRI-WAREMBOURG
    Pôle Recherche : 1, place de Verdun
    59045 LILLE CEDEX - France

    Website

  • Organomics Mass spectrometry for omics

    Competencies

    • Mass spectrometry for biology, health, clinical and food industry applications.
    • Large-scale non-targeted (bottom-up and top-down) or targeted (SRS) proteomic analysis, quantitative analysis with or without labelling.
    • Sample preparation from cells, tissues, organoids, spheroids, biological fluids, extracellular vesicles and exosomes.
    • Dynamics of post-translational modifications, identification of proteins from unsequenced genomes, proteogenomics, study of protein-protein interactions (cross-linking MS, BioID).
    • Mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI, DESI) on frozen or fixed tissue samples (FFPE) and spatial proteomic analyses.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific directors: Isabelle Fournier and Marie Duhamel

    Technical directors: Soulaimane Aboulouard and Antonella Raffo Romero

    Contact:
    Bât SN3, bureau 113
    Campus cité scientifique
    organomics[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, Inserm, Lille University Hospital

    Website

  • OrgaLille Lille organoid research platform

    Competencies

    • Developing digestive organoids
    • Establishing annotated collections of paired tumours and normal organoids
    • Providing original, life-like study models in line with a policy of reducing the use of animal models in basic research
    • Proposed real-time analysis systems for studying physiological and pathological cellular mechanisms.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Audrey Vincent

    Contact: orgares[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • Realcat High-throughput screening for catalyst development

    This platform is part of the engineering technology platform for chemistry and materials (Plateforme technologique d'ingénierie pour la chimie et les matériaux; PTICM).

    Competencies

    • High-throughput transfer of routine low-throughput chemistry and biology laboratory activities
      (catalyst synthesis, calcination, cell culture, measuring
      antimicrobial activity, proteomics, etc.)
    • Evaluating performance of biological (enzymes and fermentations) and chemical (homogeneous and heterogeneous) catalysts using automated high-throughput systems
    • Synthesis of high-throughput biological
      (recombinant enzymes and new microbial strains) and chemical (homogeneous and heterogeneous) catalysts
    • Structural and compositional characterisation of high-throughput biological and chemical
      materials

    For further details, please consult the detailed informationsheet.

    Scientific director: Sébastien Paul
    Technical director:  Svetlana Heyte

    Contact:
    Ecole Centrale Lille
    Campus Cité Scientifique
    CS 20048
    Boulevard Paul Langevin
    59 650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    +33(0)3 20 33 54 57

    Virtual tour

    Under the administrative supervision of: Centrale Lille, Chimie Lille, CNRS, IMT Lille-Douai, INRAE, INRIA, Junia, Artois University, University of Liège, University of Lille, Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale, Université de Picardie Jules Verne

    Website

  • SINBIOS Soutien informatique pour la biologie et la santé (IT support for biology and health)

    This platform is part of theUAR 2014 – US 41 PLBS

    Competencies

    • Research data management: storage, sharing, security, FAIRisation
    • Software integration
    • Application development
    • IT project management support for research projects
       

    Scientific and technical directors: Karl OULMI
     

    Contact
    Bâtiment IBL,
    1 rue du professeur Calmette
    59012 Lille Cedex
    contact@sinbios.plbs.fr
     

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, Inserm, Lille University Hospital, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille

    Website

  • Advanced characterisation platform

    The advanced characterisation platform offers its academic and industrial partners expertise and know-how in chemical and/or structural analysis. Hosted by the Institut Chevreul (Chemistry-Materials Sector), it is made up of 8 instrumental clusters and is the site of numerous methodological and technological developments, ensuring that it remains at the highest level of performance. The advanced characterisation platform promotes and supports partnership research through services and collaborations. It also organises training activities for its academic and industrial partners.

    Divisions

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Competencies

    • Characterisation of materials in controlled environments
    • Study of molecules and condensed matter (NMR, EPR, XRD, electron microscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, surface analysis, ICP, mass spectrometry, etc.)
    • Chemical, structural or microstructural analysis of samples

    Directors:Isabelle De Waele

    Contact:isabelle.de-waele[at]univ-lille[point]fr 

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • PTICM Engineering technology platform for chemistry and materials

    Divisions

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Competencies

    • High-throughput catalytic screening
    • Scaling-up and shaping of heterogeneous catalysts
    • Powder processes and technologies
    • Development of high-throughput formulations
    • Measurements of material reactions and fire resistance.

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille

  • Carmine Mineralogical, granulometric, organic, physical and optical characterisation of natural materials (sediments, soils and rocks) and industrial materials

    Competencies: 

    • Mineralogical analysis of whole rock or clay fraction
    • Laser particle size analysis
    • Organic analysis (CHNS and COT)
    • Calcimetry
    • Magnetic fraction separation
    • Optical characterisation (SEM, optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy) 

    Scientific director: Viviane Bout-Roumazeilles
    Technical director: Marion Delattre

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS

    Contact 
    CARMIN platform
    LOG - Building SN5
    Cité Scientifique - University of Lille
    59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    viviane.roumazeilles[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Website: in progress

  • MiHX Lab Marketing and Societing Lab

    Competencies 

    • Exchange and transfer between business and academia
    • Hosting marketing research and studies with a wide range of methodologies (qualitative and/or quantitative studies)
    • State-of-the-art physiological behavioural measurement technologies
    • Wide-ranging marketing and consumer issues
    • Distribution issues and new business challenges
    • Supporting companies in their transition to responsible, social and sustainable development marketing policies
    • Development of theoretical, methodological and practical training for incubators

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Maud Herbert

    Contact 
    Blanchemaille, Euratechnologie
    4ème étage
    87 rue du Fontenoy
    59 100 Roubaix

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille

    Website 

  • Lille Mesocentre High-Performance Computing Centre

    Competencies

    • Supercomputers
    • Research in digital simulation and supercomputing
    • Training and support in the use of computing and/or storage resources (cluster job submission, mass storage, etc.)
    • Parallel programming

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Nouredine Melab

    Technical director: Matthieu Marquillie

    Contact 
    Bâtiment M4 - Bureau 40
    Campus Cité Scientifique
    59 650 Villeneuve d’Ascq

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille

    Website 

  • Pharo A Set of Tools for Developing Complex IT Applications

    The Pharo platform is a pure object programming language and a powerful environment that focuses on simplicity and immediate feedback (think of an IDE and an OS rolled into one). Pharo has unique pedagogical properties and is used worldwide by 40 universities to teach object-oriented programming.  Pharo  is  used  by  20  international  research  groups.   Pharo’s  development  is  supported  by  a   
    a 46-member industrial consortium. 

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Stéphane Ducasse

    Technical director: Esteban Lorenzano

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  Inria

    Website

  • 4Maat Platform for mechanical, multiphysical and multiscale characterisation of materials and structures

    • Multiaxial, multiphysics, multi-scale mechanical testing in a controlled environment
    • Tribology (friction-induced mechanisms and braking)
    • Tests ranging from the microstructural to the structural scale: tensile micro-machine under scanning electron microscopy, rotating bending bench on 1/4-scale and full-scale axles
    • Instrumentation (infrared and visible cameras, etc.)

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Thomas Rougelot and Nathalie Limodin

    Technical director: Arnaud Beaurain

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  CNRS,   Centrale de Lille

    Website

  • ISIS 4D Innovative in-situ testing under X-ray imaging

    Competencies

    • Regional X-ray imaging platform
    • In-situ testing under microtomography
    • Characterisation of the 3D microstructure of materials subjected to complex loads

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Thomas Rougelot and Nathalie Limodin

    Technical director: Jérôme Hosdez

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  CNRS,   Centrale de Lille

    Website 

  • PIMS Materials and surface engineering platform

    Competencies

    • Casting and controlled solidification of metallic materials
    • Development of friction materials (filled polymers)
    • Additive manufacturing of metals and ceramics
    • Characterising the microstructures of metallic and ceramic materials
    • Characterising the thermal and thermomechanical properties of materials
    • Characterising surface topography
    • Electrochemical characterisation of surfaces

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Denis Najjar

    Technical directors: Arnaud Beaurain et Jean-François Witz 

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille

    Website

Plex Experimental platform for turbulence

  • Unique testing facilities for studying wall turbulence at high Reynolds numbers and flow control
  • Expertise in optical metrology (PIV) and hot-wire anemometry

For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

Scientific director: Jean-Marc Foucaut

Technical director: Christophe Cuvier

Contact:jean-marc.foucaut@centralelille.fr 

Under the administrative supervision of:University of Lille,  CNRS,   Centrale de Lille

Website

  • Carmine Mineralogical, particle size, organic, physical and optical characterisation of natural materials (sediments, soils and rocks) and industrial materials

    Competencies: 

    • Mineralogical analysis of whole rock or clay fraction
    • Laser particle size analysis
    • Organic analysis (CHNS and COT)
    • Calcimetry
    • Magnetic fraction separation
    • Optical characterisation (SEM, optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy) 

    Scientific director: Viviane Bout-Roumazeilles
    Technical director: Marion Delattre

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille, CNRS

    Contact 
    CARMIN platform
    LOG - Building SN5
    Cité Scientifique - University of Lille
    59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    viviane.roumazeilles[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Website: in progress

  • CARS ACTRIS Center for Aerosol Remote Sensing

    Competencies

    • Atmospheric aerosolmetrology usingpassive and active remote sensing
    • AERONET photometric network operator
    • National lidar network operator 
    • Operator of solar calibration platforms at Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii, USA) and Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP, France) and radiometric platforms (LOA, Lille).
    • In-house instrument development and industrial partnership (AGORA-Lab joint laboratory)
    • Support for scientific campaigns, including implementation of mobile systems
    • Algorithm development for photometric and lidar data processing

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Philippe Goloub

    Technical directors: Luc Blarel and Thierry Podvin

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website 

  • Cerla Lasers and Applications Study and Research Centre

    Competencies 

    • Surface chemical analysis by mass spectrometry/laser desorption
    • Analysis and measurement of environmental trace species using laser diagnostics
    • Photonics
    • Non-linear optics
    • Methodological developments for healthcare / chemometrics

    Scientific director: Xavier Mercier
    Technical director: Marc Le Parquier

    Contact:
    University of Lille
    Avenue Paul Langevin
    Cité scientifique
    59655 Villeneuve d’ascq Cedex
    Phone: +33(0)320 337 718

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille

    Website

  • UAR ICARE Data centre and services - Earth observation space data

    Competencies

    Exploitation of ‘aerosols, clouds, radiation and the atmospheric water cycle’ data from Earth observation space missions and atmospheric observation networks.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Jérôme Riedi (Director)

    Technical director: Nicolas Pascal

    Contact:icare-contact@univ-lille.fr 

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  CNRS, CNES

    Website 

  • MéOL Lille Optical Metrology

    Competencies

    • Laser diagnostics in reactive media (Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF), Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS))
    • Laser-Induced Incandescence (LII)
    • Infrared Absorption by Tunable Diode Laser (TDLAS) or Quantum Cascade Laser (QCLAS)
    • High-Speed Fluorescence after Gas Expansion (FAGE)
    • Optical metrology of fluid flows (Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV))
    • StereoPIV (3 velocity components in a plane)
    • TomoPIV (visualisation of 3 velocity components in a volume) with or without time resolution
    • Training academic and industrial staff in optical metrology

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific directors: Nathalie Lamoureux and Christophe Cuvier

    Technical directors: Amaury Lahccen and Pierre Braganca

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  CNRS,   Centrale de Lille

    Website 

  • Greenhouses Greenhouse, cultivation and experimental site platform

    Competencies

    • Production and maintenance of research and teaching materials.
    • Experimentation with different levels of climate control (cold and hot greenhouses, grow rooms and chambers).
    • Experimentation in semi-natural conditions on landscaped outdoor areas (experimental sites).
    • Monitoring instrumented devices in natural sites.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Saumitou-Laprade Pierre

    Technical director: Nathalie Faure

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website 

  • IrDIVE Research and innovation in digital and interactive visual environments

    Competencies

    • Historical and social construction of the visual: analysis of the role and place of the visual in contemporary and past societies, taking into account not only the associated material, social, political and cultural aspects, but also the human dimension in scientific debates and technological and digital developments.
    • Perception and visual cognition: study of the phenomena involved in the visual exploration of a scene, perception and interaction with the objects that surround us, and the individual affective experience provoked by visual content.
    • Modelling, visualisation and interaction: development of methods for analysing and classifying complex data obtained from visual devices such as video, multispectral images, three-dimensional data (3D/4D) or heterogeneous data from electrophysiological sensors.
    • Arts, science and technology: creating synergy and collaboration between artists and scientists, with the aim of working together to produce objects that are both works of art and the results of scientific research.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Technical director: Mohamed Ladrouz

    Scientific directors: Yann Coello and Laurent Sparrow

    Contact:
    99a Boulevard Descat
    59 200 Tourcoing
    contact-irdive[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • PIRVI Interaction, virtual reality and image competencies cluster

    Competencies

    • Pooling of equipment and R&D engineering for the development of Cross-Reality (XR) devices and applications.
    • Immersive auditorium and experimentation and demonstration areas equipped with various virtual reality, mixed reality and tactile and gestural interaction devices.
    • Services and technical and scientific competencies to support and further develop multidisciplinary projects involving advanced visualisation and interaction technologies, from feasibility studies to operational prototypes (TRL 6).

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Technical director: Samuel Degrande

    Scientific director: Laurent Grisoni

    Contact:
    IRCICA
    Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne
    50 avenue du Halley
    59650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    contact-pirvi[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • PUDL Lille University Data Platform

    Competencies

    • Helping to identify and access quantitative data
    • Facilitating the use of data using specialised methods and software
    • Providing information on data and events
    • Raising awareness of data usage and issues (data management plan, GDPR, etc.)

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Technical director: Ada-Marlen Chmilevschi

    Scientific director: Héloïse Petit

    Contact:
    Maison européenne des sciences de l'homme et de la société
    2 rue des Canonniers
    BP 80217
    59 002 Lille Cedex
    pudl[at]meshs[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • FiberTech Lille Fibre Optics

    Competencies

    • Design, production and characterisation of special optical fibres and fibre components
    • Applications in telecommunications, lasers, sensors, silica micro-fluidics, etc.

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Technical director: Andy Cassez

    Scientific director: Géraud Bouwmans

    Contact:
    IRCICA
    Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne
    50 Avenue Halley
    BP 70478
    59658 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • PCMP Multi-physics characterisation platform for micro/nano devices, high-frequency components and communicating systems

    Divisions

    • Near-field microscopy
      Technical director:  Dominique Deresmes
    • Electrical characterisation of microwave components and microsystems
      Technical director:  Sophie Barois
    • Measuring electromagnetic interactions
      Technical director:  Lamine Kone
    • Characterisation of communication systems
      Technical director:  Rédha Kassi

    Competencies

    • Characterisation of components or micro-devices (manufactured in our micro/nanofabrication plant) and systems 
    • Observation and manipulation of nano-sized objects
    • Monitoring of technological processes, growth and characterisation of materials and nanostructures at nanometric or atomic scale
    • Evaluating the behaviour of electronic components or subsystems over a wide frequency range (up to THz)
    • Electrical characterisation and imaging of microsystems and nanodevices
    • Electromagnetic interactions between electronic/electrical equipment and their electromagnetic operating environment over a wide frequency range (kHz to 20 GHz)
    • Evaluating the performance of wired and wireless communication systems (5G, IoT, THz, optical, etc.)

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Christophe Lethien

    Contact:
    IEMN, Plateforme PCMP
    Campus Cité Scientifique
    Avenue Henri Poincaré
    CS 60069
    59 650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    christophe.lethien[at]univ-lille[point]fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website under construction

  • CMNF Micro/nanofabrication plant

    • Depositing
    • Lithography
    • Engraving and implantation
    • In-line analysis
    • Bio-microfluidics
    • Renatech project hosting
    • Transdisciplinary integration and prototyping
    • Transdisciplinary maintenance

    Competencies

    • Technological manufacturing of micro-devices and electronic components
    • Depositing of materials, structuring of these materials by lithography/engraving and in-line analysis
    • Bio/microfluidics and soft lithography activities

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Technical director: Bertrand Grimbert

    Scientific director: Christophe Lethien

    Contact:
    IEMN, Plateforme CMNF
    Campus Cité Scientifique
    Avenue Henri Poincaré
    CS 60069
    59 650 Villeneuve d’Ascq
    bertrand.grimbert@univ-lille.fr

    Under the administrative supervision of: Université of Lille, CNRS

    Website

  • eV Electricity and vehicles

    Competencies 

    • Development and validation of new subsystem concepts for electrified vehicles (electric and hybrid)
    • HiL (hardware-in-the-loop) tests involving different storage systems (batteries, supercapacitors)
    • Testing of electrical machines (conventional, polyphase), power converters (inverters, power supplies, chargers, etc.)
    • Electric vehicle system characterisation (electrically-assisted bicycles, segways, electric vehicles, metros, etc.)
    • Instrumented vehicles and charging stations for the interdisciplinary CUMIN programme at the University of Lille (TVES, CRIStAL and MEL collaboration): driving and usage cycle data

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Alain Bouscayrol

    Technical director: Walter Lhomme

    Under the administrative supervision of:University of Lille

    Website

  • PRETIL Lille robotics and intelligent transport research platform

    Competencies

    • Mobile robotics
    • Medical robotics
    • Deformable robotics
    • Collaborative robotics
    • Autonomous vehicle
    • Monitoring
    • Operational reliability
    • Middleware and embedded real-time systems
    • Indoor and outdoor test tracks available for full-scale validation of intelligent vehicles

    For further details, please consult the detailed information sheet.

    Scientific director: Maan El Badaoui El Najjar

    Technical director: Gérald Dherbomez 

    Under the administrative supervision of: University of Lille,  CNRS,   Centrale de Lille,  Inria

    Website

Major facilities

The University of Lille leads or participates in major national and international research infrastructures, as well as facilities of excellence (Équipex+).

Research infrastructure

Research infrastructures are facilities, resources or services that are used by researchers to carry out their work and promote innovation in their own scientific fields. Most are organised and run on a national or even international scale. The University of Lille is involved in 11 research infrastructures.

Actris France Observation and exploration of aerosols, clouds and reactive gases

ACTRIS-FR is the French component of ACTRIS, the European initiative for the observation and exploration of aerosols, clouds and reactive gases and their interactions. ACTRIS is a distributed research infrastructure supporting research into the climate and air quality. It improves our understanding of the past, present and future evolution of atmospheric composition.

Infrastructure manager: Paolo Laj

Lille platform involved : CARS-ACTRIS

Website

ChemBioFrance Chemistry, biology and cheminformatics

ChemBioFrance is designed to promote and energise exchanges at the interfaces of chemistry, biology and cheminformatics in order to  develop new strategies for the discovery and development of bioactive molecules for the benefit of researchers in both the public and private sectors.

ChemBioFrance is also creating a collection of standardised (quality control and use protocols) and validated (accepted model for a given human pathology, infection, parasite, etc.) targets, distributed based on the national chemical library model. ChemBioFrance offers scientific and technical solutions to optimise development (TRL 2-6) and increase the success rate in the pre-commercial and commercial phases (TRL 7-9) of new molecules.

Infrastructure manager in France : Jean-Luc Galzi

Lille platform involved: ARIADNE – Criblage UMS 2014 PLBS

Website

Data Terra Data and service cluster for the Earth system

The main mission of Data  Terra ‘data and  service clusters for the Earth  system ’ is to develop a global system for accessing and processing data, products and services enabling integrated observation, understanding and forecasting of the history, functioning and evolution of the Earth system in the face of global change. Aimed at the scientific community as well as public and socio-economic actors, these multi-source data, products and services can be accessed via a unified, coherent portal. 

It is based on four data clusters corresponding to each of the major compartments of the Earth System : 

  • THEIA for continental surface data (agriculture, forests, biodiversity, etc.)
  • AERIS for atmospheric data (gases, aerosols, clouds, etc.)
  • ODATIS for ocean data (marine altimetry, phytoplankton, pigmentation, etc.)
  • ForM@Ter for solid earth data (volcanoes, erosion, tectonics, etc.)

Infrastructure managers : Frédéric Huynh

Lille platform involved : UMS ICARE

Website

France Génomique

France Génomique offers the public and private scientific community access to the best French platforms, project support and the opportunity to participate in international projects.

The infrastructure provides cutting-edge expertise in genomics and related bioinformatics, and competitive genomics and bioinformatics services in coordination with the IFB. The aim is to guarantee France’s independence in areas that are more strategic than ever for life sciences research.

Infrastructure manager: Patrick Wincker

Lille platforms involved: LIGAN PM GO@L and Bilille de l’UAR 2014 - US 41 PLBS

Website

France Grilles Computing

The France Grilles national distributed computing infrastructure is multi-disciplinary, open to all disciplines and to developing countries. Its main missions are :

  • Establishing and operating national cloud and production grid infrastructures for processing and storing large amounts of scientific data;

  • Contributing, together with the other member states involved, to the operation of the European EGI infrastructure (www.egi.eu) and defining the terms of French participation in the EGI.eu association, which coordinates the EGI federation;

  • Promoting closer ties and exchanges between teams working on production and research grids.

Infrastructure Manager:Vincent Breton

Lille platform involved : Lille Mesocentre

Website
 

Huma-Num Humanités numériques (digital humanities)

The TGIR’s main mission is to build, together with the communities involved and based on scientific guidance, a world-class digital infrastructure for the social sciences and humanities.

Through consortia that bring together parties from the scientific communities and a network of points of presence in the human sciences centres (maisons des sciences de l’Homme; MSH), it structures support for HSS scientific communities with respect to digital infrastructure for research data.

Infrastructure manager in France : Olivier Baude

Lille research unit involved:MESHS

Website

Infranalytics Characterisation and chemical analysis

At the beginning of 2022, Infranalytics will be a multi-technique, multi-site national research infrastructure (RI) resulting from the merger of three French RIs dedicated to chemical characterisation and analysis :

Infranalytics will offer academic and industrial actors access to state-of-the-art spectrometers, as well as scientific expertise and technical support for a wide range of experiments in the fields of health, the environment, energy, materials and the food industry.

Lille platforms involved : The institut Chevreul’s Advanced Characterisation Platform for Chemistry’sNMR, MEMR and mass spectrometry clusters.

Website

IFB Institut Français de Bioinformatique (French Institute of Bioinformatics)

The Institut Français de Bioinformatique is a national bioinformatics service infrastructure. Its main mission is to provide basic resources in this field to the life sciences community. The various services offered by IFB platforms can be grouped into 5 main categories :

  • Data : providing high added-value data collections based on laboratory expertise

  • Tools : disseminating innovative tools for analysing laboratory-generated biological data

  • Training users in bioinformatics techniques and concepts

  • Supporting biologists’ research projects in bioinformatics analysis

  • Infrastructure: providing an IT infrastructure dedicated to the management and analysis of data produced by the life sciences. 

Infrastructure manager: Claudine Médigue and Jacques van Helden

Lille platforms involved: Bilille de l’UAR 2014 - US 41 PLBS Lille Mesocentre

Website
 

PROGEDO Data production and management in the humanities and social sciences

PROGEDO is the central player in ministerial policies concerning the production and management of data in the humanities and social sciences (HSS). The infrastructure’s mission is to develop a data culture and raise the level of national structuring of research communities by rolling out a development strategy shared by research organisations, major institutions and universities, and to strengthen France’s position in the European research area.

To this end, PROGEDO organises support for the collection, documentation, preservation and dissemination of  a vast array of data required for research in the  social sciences and humanities, and helps set up secure micro-data access systems. PROGEDO also supports major international surveys and provides access to a number of foreign HSS databases.

Infrastructure manager: Pascal Buleon

Lille platform involved : PUDL

Website

RENATECH Réseau National des grandes centrales Technologiques (National Network of Major Technology Centres)

Renatech is the French academic network for cutting-edge equipment in the field of micro- and nanotechnologies. Its aim is to develop, maintain and provide a competitive infrastructure for research and R&D in micro- and nanofabrication in France, working with both academic and industrial customers.

Our manufacturing plants are located all over France to guarantee the proximity you need to carry out your projects.

Infrastructure manager: Michel de Labachelerie

Lille platforms involved : Micro/Nanofabrication Plant and the IEMN’s Multi-Physics Characterisation Platform’s near-field microscopy cluster

Website

SILECS Internet of Things, Internet of Servers, wireless networks and interconnected networks

SILECS is a large-scale scientific tool for extrapolating, observing and validating models, algorithms and technologies for these large-scale systems. It focuses on four aspects: the Internet of Servers, the Internet of Things, wireless networks and interconnected networks. It consists of an instrument and software tools that provide access to a wide variety of advanced computing resources of varying sizes. Researchers and industrialists will be able to test, observe and analyse models, algorithms and solutions.

Infrastructure manager in France : Frédéric Desprez, Serge Fdida

Lille platform involved : Lille Mesocentre

Website

Équipex+

Équipex+ are nationwide facilities whose main vocation is scientific research, and which represent French scientific leadership. The University of Lille is involved in 9 Equipex+ projects which have been awarded funding under the Programme d'investissements d'avenir (PIA 3).

Add4P Additive manufacturing of glasses and photonics components

The Add4P EquipEx+ focuses on the additive manufacturing of glasses and photonics components, with objectives including performance gains, weight reduction, increased mechanical and thermal resistance of parts, original design of new functions and more.

Local contact : Marc Douay

Participating platform in Lille : Fibertech Lille

Website 

CONTINUUM Collaborative continuity from digital to human

Continuum aims to create a ‘collaborative continuity from digital to human’ by developing interdisciplinary research between computer science and the humanities and social sciences. The project brings together equipment such as huge screen walls, immersive rooms and virtual or augmented reality headsets, spread across 30 platforms. This equipment is used in particular to visualise complex scientific data and to create virtual environments, for example to study and cure phobias, or to design historical reconstructions.

Local contact : Yann Coello

Participating platform in Lille : Irdive

Website

GAIA Data Data and services for observing and understanding the Earth system

The GAIA Data project aims to develop a data and services infrastructure for observing and understanding the Earth system, biodiversity and the environment.

The GAIA Data project brings together three digital research infrastructures in the field of Earth and Environment systems: Data Terra organises integrated access to observation data covering the different compartments of the earth system and their interactions, CLIMERI-France produces international numerical simulations for the WCRP (to be specified) and makes their results available to various users in France and abroad, and PNDB,the national biodiversity data centre, brings together existing data approaches within the living earth researchinfrastructures.

Local contact : Jérôme Riedi

Participating platform in Lille : ICARE

Website

MesoNET Mesocentre network

The MesoNET EquipEx+ will meet the needs of academic and industrial researchers through the development of structuring digital equipment, with the long-term objective of setting up a distributed infrastructure dedicated to the coordination of HPC-AI(High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence) in France via a network of mesocentres.

Local contact : Matthieu Marquillie

Participating platform in Lille : Lille Mesocentre

Website

MuDiS4LS Shared digital spaces for life sciences

The EquipEx+ MuDiS4LS (Mutualised Digital Spaces for FAIR data in Life and Health Science) project is supported by the Institut Français de Bioinformatique.

The overall project is structured around 4  work packages:

  • Orchestrating data flows for life sciences.

  • Distributed data infrastructure for project-life-long secured storage and backup.

  • Data access and outreach.

  • Intensive Computational Biology (Access to national HPC/AI resources).

which are complemented by 5 implementation studies: 

  • Imaging data integration and FAIR sharing.

  • Marine biology data integration and dissemination.

  • Bioinformatics solutions to handle health data.

  • FAIR Integration and sharing of new data deluge in microbiome research.

  • Integration and FAIR sharing of genetic and multi-omics data for agriculture.

Local contact : Guillemette Marot

Participating platform in Lille : Bilille

Website

NANOFUTUR Nanotechnologies

The NANOFUTUR Equipex+ has identified the facilities needed to remain competitive and meet the nanomanufacturing and nanotechnology challenges of the coming decade. The themes of the future in which French expertise is highly competitive are :

  1. photonics, evolving towards on-chip integration of more varied functions for information processing – including quantum information and artificial intelligence

  2. spintronics, which promises a major reduction in power consumption in the digital world

  3. teraHertz technologies, which will be rapidly deployed after 6G or 7G for ultra-high-speed wireless communications

  4. nanobiotechnologies, which will provide a better understanding of how living organisms function and enable ultra-miniature medical devices to be implanted in human beings, (5) sensors, which will be increasingly ubiquitous in the future in the Internet of Things. Finally, a fundamental underlying challenge common to all of the above

  5. ‘Nano-manipulation and nano-assembly’ will enable the assembly of ultra-pure nanometric layers for performing new, hitherto inaccessible functions. The chosen equipment is often unique in Europe, and will be the only equipment of its kind in France that is accessible to all.

Local contact : Christophe Lethien

Participating platform in Lille : Centrale de Nano-Micro Fabrication de l’IEMN

Website

OBS4Clim Integrated observation system for the atmosphere

EquipEx+ OBS4CLIM is the result of a concerted innovative effort by the three French components of the national nodes of the European Research Infrastructures (RI) in the atmospheric field : the ESFRI ACTRIS project, the ESFRI IAGOS Landmark and the atmospheric component of the ESFRI ICOS Landmark.

OBS4CLIM is developing a common strategy for the implementation of services aimed at strengthening the integration of ‘atmospheric RIs’ and their synergies through, for example, innovation, shared use of equipment and harmonisation of access conditions.

The aim of OBS4CLIM is to provide atmospheric RIs with adequate investment to continue serving users whilst providing the highest level of quality for the next 15 years. Furthermore, OBS4CLIM will enable us to respond to new needs, such as making the most of networks’ four dimensions (longer, uninterrupted time series, synergies with observations from space, a more global and denser network in specific regions, intelligent specialisations, etc.).

Participating platform in Lille : CARS-ACTRIS

Local contact : Phillipe Gouloub

Website

TIRREX Technological Infrastructure for Excellence in Robotics Research

The TIRREX (Technological Infrastructure for Excellence in Robotics Research) EquipEx+ coordinates the development of and access to key new robotics platforms at national level. Parties involved in robotics research are brought together in this project, which is structured around six focus areas and three transdisciplinary focus areas. Alongside prototyping and design, and manipulation, the third transdisciplinary focus area will be open infrastructures, in order to guarantee and standardise access to free data, software and publications (digital twins, FAIR data and open source software). The TIRREX infrastructure, which is supported by more than 50 companies or networks of companies, will give the academic community, including members of the Groupement de Recherche (GDR) Robotique (Robotics Research Group), access to top-level, world-class equipment.

Local contact : Maan El Badaoui

Participating platform in Lille : PRETIL

Website

T-REFIMEVE European Fibre Metrology Network

The aim of the T-REFIMEVE Equipex+ is to make available to the scientific community and industry a complete set of time and frequency signals at the best international standard that  metrology research units can provide, taking advantage of the exceptional precision of atomic clocks and the guided propagation of optical fibres. More than 30 research units and institutes throughout France will be connected. Other research units  in the region will be able to connect easily in the future. This set-up is unmatched anywhere in the world.

Local contact : Arnaud Mussot

Website

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