Axel’One - an innovative collaborative platform dedicated to chemistry and environment

Axel’One has the status of the French law 1901 associations.

8 founding members:
o  CNRS,
o CPE Lyon
o ENS de Lyon,
o IFP Energies nouvelles,
o INSA
o Rhodia-Solvay,
o SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT
o Université Lyon 1

Funded by :
• Fond Européen de Développement Régional
• Direction Générale de la Compétitivité de l'Industrie et des Services
• Région Rhône-Alpes
• Conseil général du Rhône
• Grand Lyon
• Caisse des Dépôt
• Groupe SERL

• 3 venues in Rhône Alpes region:
o Plateforme Procédés Innovants Solaize
o Plateforme Matériaux Innovants – Saint Fons
o Plateforme Campus – Lyon Tech La Doua (up from 2016)

• Website : https://www.axel-one.com/
 
 
Context
The innovative platform Axel’One was created in June 2011 under the status of the French law 1901 association but the idea of the project is dated 2008. It answers the objectives set at the time by Axelera, the competitive pole “Chmistry and Environment Lyon & Rhône-Alpes”, IFP New Energies and Rhodia (nowadays called Solvay).
Whereas Axelera’s great challenge aims at activating the creation of a strong industrial and scientific channel at an international scale by mixing chemistry and environment, the ambition of Axel’One is to provide the set of tools that will enable to concretely welcome research and development collaborative projects based on two strategic topics: innovative materials and clean processes.

Objectives
Axel’One’s offer can be understood as a real estate offer to host R&D collaborative projects and as an access to pooled equipments, in particular high performance calculation means.
In the framework of this hosting, complementary services are offered by the partners’ network  and both the confidentiality of the R&D projects and the activity of the tenants is ensured.
•  R&D collaborative projects hosting
R&D collaborative projects hosting in real estate packages: empty spaces (non-equiped) containing private areas (technological halls from 15m2 to 150m2, laboratories, offices) and common equipped areas (meeting rooms, dressing rooms, etc). Security, confidentiality, management and coordination of Axel’One staff.
• Technological pooled equipments (in particular Axel’One SIM)
Technological pooled equipments are offered, with the triple objective of reducing costs, creating synergies between actors involved and acquiring new skills. An example is the access to the supercalculation tool of IFP New energies that is proposed in the framework of Axel’One SIM.
 • Specific offers for small societies
Attractive access conditions are proposed for small societies (TPE/PME) and start-ups wishing to be hosted and/or to commit themselves in R&D projects up from 2014.
• Other services
Thanks to the network of partners and founders, Axel'One aims at providing complementary services in the future.

Perspectives
Up to 2016 Axel’One platform aims a flow of 20 collaborative projects for a total turnover of 4 to 5 million Euros, representating a capacity of 150 researchers on a total space of 8500m2. The ideal perspective would be to have a turnover of 30 to 35 million Euros over 10 years. Axel’One aims at constituting a Rhône Alpes pole impacting on a international level the sector of processes and materials by adding European collaborative projects and investments.