For his first official speech to the press, Olivier Guillon, all smiles, needed to set a transparent framework. Trained as an engineer, physician, supplies specialist and college lecturer, the new CEO of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (List) boasts lengthy expertise in analysis, acquired specifically at the Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, the place he headed an institute and coordinated the largest nationwide analysis programme in the area of power, involving greater than 1,300 folks. “I know research,” he sums up, additionally emphasising his common position as an professional evaluator of tasks, careers and establishments.
Arrived in Luxembourg after being approached for the job, Olivier Guillon explains that he was attracted by the alternative to “shape a major institute” and guarantee its long-term growth. He speaks of a “wonderful encounter” with the List and the Belval web site, which he says he found with enthusiasm, in addition to Luxembourg’s capability to supply an agile, action-oriented setting that’s linked to the economic system.
Created in 2015, the List occupies a singular place in the Luxembourg and regional panorama. A nationwide public analysis centre in the pure and engineering sciences, it defines itself as an organisation succesful of connecting disciplines, sectors and applied sciences, from elementary to utilized analysis. Olivier Guillon emphasises this built-in mannequin, which he presents as distinctive in the Greater Region, and the institute’s European roots, designed to satisfy the wants of trade and public coverage.
A “partnership and venture office” to optimise added worth
Also, At the begin of a brand new strategic cycle in 2025, the List intends to assist the main financial, social and environmental transformations. As half of this, the institute has strengthened its expertise switch technique with the creation of a “partnership and venture office”, designed to coordinate all switch, licensing, industrial partnership and start-up creation actions. , devoted to the emergence of expertise start-ups, is one of its elements, alongside mental property administration and enterprise growth, , deputy managing director.
In phrases of sources, the List depends on 840 staff of 60 totally different nationalities, together with round 170 specialists finishing up analysis and growth tasks. The institute hosts 110 doctoral college students, most of whom are enrolled at the University of Luxembourg, and contributes to larger schooling by a number of hundred instructing items. In phrases of tasks, practically 500 Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) actions are at present underway, whether or not nationwide, collaborative with trade or worldwide, making List the most energetic Luxembourg participant on European programmes.
The List’s price range is simply over €110m, from public grants and different sources of funding. Its scientific and financial impression is mirrored in publications in main journals, the submitting of patents, the granting of licences to trade and the creation of twelve spin-offs since 2011. According to the CEO, the analysis infrastructure, unfold over 10,000 m² of laboratories and geared up with 4,000 items of gear, some of that are ISO/IEC 17025 licensed, is a differentiating asset on the scale of the Greater Region.
“Cap 2030,” constructing a resilient future
The Cap 2030 vision pushed by Olivier Guillon is constructed round one central goal: “A search for excellence to build a resilient future”. The Franco-German mentioned he had been consulted on the undertaking, which was put collectively by appearing ex-CEO Dirk Fransaer, after which finalised in the final quarter.
The List’s actions are structured round three environments – pure, constructed and industrial – complemented by strategic cross-cutting areas of house, synthetic intelligence and safety and defence.
In the pure setting, the List’s work targets the struggle in opposition to local weather change, the safety of biodiversity and the sustainable use of sources. The is devoted to assessing the well being of Luxembourg’s forests and their resilience to local weather stress, whereas goals to detect and monitor cyanobacteria blooms in our bodies of water with a view to anticipate environmental and well being dangers.
The institute can also be concerned in the Common European Agricultural Data Space, a European initiative geared toward structuring and sharing agricultural knowledge to assist extra sustainable, data-driven agriculture. In phrases of added worth, the Invitrolize spin-off is creating in vitro cell fashions designed to switch animal testing in biomedical analysis.
The constructed setting brings collectively work on sustainable cities, clever buildings, zero-emission mobility and related well being. The helps native authorities of their digital transition and the use of city knowledge, whereas is predicated on the evaluation of wastewater to watch the circulation of infectious illnesses inside the inhabitants.
The List can also be working with CFL on the integration of progressive mobility options, specifically autonomous shuttles on the Belval web site. Several applied sciences ensuing from this work are introduced as being near industrial deployment, together with Twisco, geared in direction of optimising web site logistics, and Peptidata, which goals to hurry up drug discovery by knowledge evaluation.
Ambition to grow to be a world chief
In the industrial setting, the List is focusing its efforts on sustainable manufacturing, the round economic system, power and supplies. The Data-Driven Energy Transition programme goals to develop a nationwide digital power twin to optimise the planning and administration of the power transition. The institute can also be concerned in a number of aggressive European tasks in areas similar to quantum applied sciences and clear hydrogen, and has industrial partnerships with teams similar to Goodyear and ArcelorMittal, specializing in decarbonising processes and clever mobility. Some of the applied sciences developed at the List, significantly in the area of Sims nano-imaging, are being marketed internationally.
In cross-disciplinary areas, the List is concerned in creating the exploitation of house sources, with Esric and new infrastructures on the future Space Campus. In synthetic intelligence, the institute advocates an method described as frugal and clear, with instruments similar to the or tasks to democratise no-code, in partnership with Luxembourg gamers. In the area of safety and defence, Olivier Guillon confirms a surge in exercise, with round 30 tasks underway in areas similar to superior supplies, cybersecurity and AI, in assist of authorities priorities.
When requested about the said ambition to grow to be a world chief, the CEO explains that this will likely be measured by the high quality of publications, the capability to coordinate European tasks from Luxembourg and recognition by worldwide companions. He additionally believes that, whereas Luxembourg will not be but routinely recognized as a key analysis hub, it enjoys rising recognition in a number of cutting-edge fields and a horny ecosystem, combining analysis and enterprise.
Olivier Guillon’s ambition for 2030 is twofold: to strengthen the List’s strategic nationwide position whereas positioning the institute as a benchmark participant internationally. A path primarily based on the continuity of the current technique, enriched by his personal contributions, and on reworking analysis into tangible financial and societal worth for Luxembourg. With a KPI to regulate: whereas Luxembourg is 2nd in Europe in nominal hourly productiveness in specialised, scientific and technological actions, it’s only eighth for trade: the List has each intention of transferring data into concrete options.