I-PhD Innovation competition : Two winners from FEMTO-ST in 2025

Valentin Reynaud (microforce metrology) andGaultier Gibey (predictive maintenance of hydrogen sytems) are the winners of this sixth edition of the national innovation competition .

Launched in July 2019 by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, in partnership with Bpifrance, the i-PhD competition aims to promote entrepreneurship among young researchers, particularly in the creation of “deep tech” startups that offer disruptive innovations based on scientific and technological advances.

Since the launch of this annual innovation competition, 234 winners have been awarded prizes and 78 startups have been created by winners.

The 2025 winners include 40 winners, two of whom are from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and more specifically from FEMTO-ST:

Valentin REYNAUD (SensiTips project) is developing a new generation of instruments capable of quantifying forces that were previously inaccessible to human perception. These instruments are based on ultra-sensitive MEMS sensors and high-precision robotics.
The goal of SensiTips is to enable the precise measurement of forces on a very small scale, thereby meeting the growing needs of cutting-edge fields such as robotics, microtechnology, and life sciences.

Contact : valentin.reynaud@femto-st.fr

Gaultier GIBEY ( SupervHyse project – Hydrogen system maintenance) offers a predictive maintenance software tool dedicated to hydrogen systems, which monitors equipment status in real time and predicts the optimal date for intervention, much like a doctor monitoring a patient. The result is a longer service life, enhanced reliability, and lower maintenance costs.

Contact : gaultier.gibey@femto-st.fr

These two projects are supported by PUI BFC, la SATT SAYENS and the Researcher-Entrepreneur Program In the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region

Our two winners this year join the list of four previous winners in 2019 (Maya Geagea – micro fuel cell and Gael Matten – programmable noise absorption systems), in 2021 (Giacomo Clementi – vibration energy recovery through piezoelectric effect) and in 2023 (Julien Dufourmantelle – acoustic sensor for online monitoring of milk coagulation).

Our six winners thus illustrate the diversity of skills and innovative capabilities present at FEMTO-ST.

Giacomo Clementi, grand prize i-PhD
For his work on Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3), which has led to the design of original and efficient devices for the recovery of vibratory energy by the piezoelectric effect, in particular for connected objects.
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Understanding energy transfers during photosynthesis
Using three pigments manipulated by scanning tunneling microscopy, researchers from IPCMS and FEMTO-ST are studying energy transfers between molecules to gain a finer understanding of the photosynthesis mechanism in plants. This work is published in Nature Chemistry.
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International Day of Light on May 16th
This year, the Student Chapter of FEMTO-ST organizes on this occasion a photo contest on the theme ′′ Light phenomena in everyday life ".
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AMAROB labelled Deep Tech company
Spin off of FEMTO-ST, Amarob technologie has received the Deep Tech company label awarded by Bpifrance.
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New platform to support the design and optimization of fuel cell hybride system and battery
Virtual FCS" is the first freely accessible online simulation platform to support fuel cell manufacturers and users.

Supported by a European funding, "Virtual FCS" has for French partner the University of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté through the FEMTO-ST institute and the FC-LAB
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ThermoBot : micro robots that walk on water
Imagine, a robot, the size of a fly, walking on the surface of the water and pursued by a laser beam. One could believe in a science fiction scenario...
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Recognizing liars from the sound of their voice ?
Scientists have prouved that the intensity, speed and pitch of the speaker's voice automatically influences our perception of the reliability and honesty of his or her speech. This work is published in the prestigious journal "Nature Communications"
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European project for the development of sustainable and high-performance bio-based composites
Led by FEMTO-ST and supported by the University of Franche-Comté, the « SSUCHY » R&D project which brings together 17 European partners is entering its final phase. The project is now quite advanced.
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Understanding the cytotoxicity of metallic nanoparticles
A recent study published in the journal "Chemical Science" and involving FEMTO-ST gives new insights into the understanding of the mechanisms of DNA alteration in cells by metallic nanoparticles.
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Artificial intelligence for next-generation ultrafast photonics
How can machine learning and associated methods improve the development of next-generation laser sources and revolutionize applications where ultrafast light plays a central role?
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