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.
