A strategic project enhancing Université Paris Cité’s economic and social impact: FIRE-UP

FIRE-UP, Université Paris Cité’s strategic project, is implementing several actions to optimise Université Paris Cité’s economic and social impact on a regional, national and international scale. These actions are aimed at optimising knowledge transfer to encourage and accelerate innovation, and at engaging with citizens and advising public actors.

Two industrial research chairs for innovation

Rooted in key innovation sectors linked to environmental sustainability and co-funded by industry partners, the industrial research chairs aim to deliver concrete, practical outcomes. Since 2022, the Geosciences Atrium has set up two of these chairs:

• a first chair in ‘Biometallurgy for the Recovery of Critical Metals’ (BioMetCrit), established in collaboration with the Belgian company Syngulon and the Turkish company Exitcom. The chair aims to develop solutions for recycling critical metals, which are present in many everyday objects but at risk of shortage.
• a second chair on ‘Continental Hydrogen Exploration’ (HCont), conducted in partnership with the French company SLB. It aims to identify and define the still poorly understood mechanisms of natural dihydrogen genesis and to develop new tracers to target potential sites for its exploitation and/or storage.

Industrial research chairs offer a mutually beneficial partnership between academic and socio-economic worlds to adress the challenges of the energy transition: for academic institutions, they help bring fundamental research closer to real market needs and improve the transfer of knowledge, while enabling industry to access high-level scientific expertise.

Project Factory: a support programme for entrepreneurship

The Project Factory initiative provides comprehensive support for student entrepreneurship and deep tech ventures. It forms part of Université Paris Cité’s student experience strategic plan. In practical terms, the Project Factory initiative aims to provide students and Alumni with:

• funding for deep tech and/or entrepreneurship projects;
• an environment for accelerating scientific and entrepreneurial projects featuring dedicated, fully equipped facilities and expert support, including UPCité’s FabLab (MILLab);
• support and training tailored to the different stages of an entrepreneurial project, as well as technology transfer training with dedicated mentoring.

In 2024, 140 people received an introduction to MILLab’s operation and services, and the first cohort of student projects was launched.

Fostering community engagement

A wide range of events, aimed particularly at the general public and school students, are organised through several FIRE-UP initiatives: the Interdisciplinary Institute for Women’s Health (iWISH), the P.A.R.I.S programme, the Project Factory initiative, as well as the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and Geosciences Atrium. These have all proven highly successful: in 2024, 25 events reached nearly 700 people. These events include:

• actions to raise awareness among UPCité students (‘Green Transition Spring’) and teachers (‘Educational Innovations Day’);
• scientific mediation activities linked to UPCité initiatives (‘Humanities and Social Sciences Olympiad’), festivals (‘Pint of Science’, ‘DoubleScience’) and international thematic days (interactive workshops on reproductive and sexual health as part of the International Women’s Rights Day);
• artistic events, such as a session on art and women’s health held with the National University of Singapore, a Université Paris Cité scientific partner.
• national and international scientific conferences and colloquia such as ‘Research Ethics, Civic Engagement and Academic Freedom’, ‘Advancing Biohydrometallurgy for a Sustainable Future’ and the ‘Women’s Health Conference’.

In the 2025-26 academic year, FIRE-UP will continue to expand UPCité’s social impact and community engagement through various initiatives, including the launch of the University Press in September 2025. The Press will bring academic knowledge and fundamental research into the public sphere, fostering debate on major contemporary challenges.

The FIRE-UP website provides more information on the project’s six initiatives, ranging from incorporating sustainable development goals into student and staff training, to supporting student and deep tech entrepreneurship. These initiatives also include funding interdisciplinary (post)doctoral programmes and structuring research communities through the Geosciences and the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Atriums as well as the Interdisciplinary Institute for Women’s Health (iWISH).