What steps were taken prior to the agreement with the French government?
Prior to being designated as an Institute for the Energy Transition in 2019, a key step was the signing of a preliminary framework agreement with the National Research Agency. This marked the first instance of direct state support for the France Energies Marines Association, which the french government wanted to see led by industry players. In 2014, I was therefore tasked with leading a working group on ways to ensure that the Institute’s R&D served the industrial sector.
How did you manage in this context?
Marine renewable energy was still in its infancy in France. Although they were competitors, academic and private sector stakeholders all shared a strong desire to create a community that fostered academic excellence and produced results that could be put to use in the short and medium term. What seems self-evident today was, at the time, a pioneering approach. Building on this momentum, we have increased the transparency of R&D funding. We therefore decided to introduce a ‘token’ system allowing contributions to be directed specifically towards projects. This has helped to confirm the commitment of funders, particularly those from industry.
What do you remember most about that time?
All these highly positive outcomes, resulting from constructive teamwork, convinced the Directorate-General for Energy and Climate, the General Secretariat for Investment and the National Research Agency to sign a framework agreement in 2015, with a commitment of ten million euros in state funding. This pioneering period was an exhilarating human adventure that will remain a highlight of my professional career.