The Responsible Management and Innovation (RMI) department conducts research projects in entrepreneurship, managerial innovation, CSR and digital transformation, in collaboration with academic and industrial partners. This work supports companies and organisations in their transition towards more sustainable, innovative and high-performing models. This page presents the department’s projects and collaborations.
Current Projects
The objective of the ECOS Canada 2024/2027 project is to strengthen the partnership between two French-Quebec research teams from Mines Saint-Étienne and Université Laval, with support from the RRECQ. This project focuses on the circular economy, with particular attention to socio-economic issues and the organisational dimension. In particular, it examines organisational transformations likely to generate sustainable innovations in HR, care pathways and business models (service offerings), while also analysing the dynamics of the innovation ecosystem (stakeholder roles).
The research will focus on the following questions:
- How does the adoption of sustainable and circular practices influence organisational processes in healthcare institutions? What are these sustainable innovations?
- What actions/levers should be put in place to encourage the adoption of these practices? How do relationships with the ecosystem of stakeholders evolve as a result of healthcare institutions adopting circular economy practices?
An analysis in France and Quebec will thus help advance research on the most relevant ways to move towards greater sustainability.
Dates
2024-2027
Partners
Université Laval / RRECQ
Contacts
- Project lead: Michelle Mongo, Mines Saint-Étienne, Coactis
- Participants: Nadine Dubruc
Keywords or themes
- Circular economy, sustainable innovation, healthcare
Sustainable Development Goals
PACkaging, Recycling, Recyclability, Re-use of papers and cardboards (ANR/PEPR)
The PAC3R project focuses on cellulosic packaging and aims to (1) develop new sustainable processes to improve the properties of recycled fibres, (2) recover solid and liquid rejects from the conventional recycling process, (3) develop new recycling processes and recover all separated elements in the case of composite materials, which are difficult to recycle, and (4) provide an overall environmental and societal analysis of the targeted processes.
In this project, the Responsible Management and Innovation department examines the impact of these new processes on business models and ecosystems in the paper and cardboard sector. How will the newly developed processes modify existing ecosystems and lead to the emergence of new business models? What economic, societal and environmental value can be created, and how? How do the various stakeholders fit together within a sustainable business model? How is value delivered and captured within these ecosystems?
Dates
2023-2027
Partners
Grenoble Institute of Technology, National Higher School of Mines Albi-Carmaux, National Higher School of Mines of Saint-Étienne, CNRS Alpes (Grenoble), UniLaSalle Polytechnic Institute, National Higher School of Mines of Paris
Contacts
- Project lead: Sophie Peillon, Mines Saint-Étienne, Coactis
- Participants: Jean-Miche Degeorge, Fernando Cezar
Keywords or themes
Business model innovation, ecosystem, circular economy
Sustainable Development Goals
Digital transformation offers new possibilities for value creation. The objective of the project is to assess the specific characteristics of digital transformation processes in SMEs, and to develop a systemic modelling of digital transformation processes that highlights the multiple and complex interactions between technological, human and organisational dimensions and establishes practical recommendations aimed at supporting these processes over time. In this project, modelling is understood in the sense of Morin and Le Moigne’s school of complexity. As Lugan (2009) points out, modelling then consists of “the intentional action of constructing, by composing concepts and symbols, models capable of making an object or phenomenon perceived as complex more intelligible and, as J.-L. Le Moigne specifies, of enhancing the reasoning of the actor planning a deliberate intervention within this object or phenomenon and anticipating the consequences of possible action projects”.
Dates
2023-2025
Partners
REEL IT Group
Contacts
- Project lead: Thibaut Metailler, Mines Saint-Étienne, Coactis
Keywords or themes
Digital transformation, digital maturity, SMEs, organisational management
Sustainable Development Goal
The project aims to support a partnership weakened by the COVID period. The intention is to revitalise three aspects of cooperation with the Lebanese University: a dual-degree programme for future engineers in all engineering fields (Health, Energy, Industry of the Future, Circular Economy, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence); the sharing of research expertise with future PhD candidates by supporting research master’s internships; and cooperation on the educational design of a new programme in entrepreneurship. It involves two research laboratories of the teacher-researchers: CoACTIS and LIMOS.
This project supports a new collaboration with the Faculty of Science of the Lebanese University and our LIMOS teaching staff, from the two SIC (Information and Communication Systems) and MAAD (Models and Algorithms for Decision Support) research areas of the LIMOS laboratory. REBOND also responds to a request for our data science expertise with USEK. In 2023 and 2024, the project provided financial support to students (Master’s/dual-degree engineering and PhD).
Dates
2023-2025
Partners
- Lebanese University (UL): Faculties of Engineering and Faculties of Economics and Management
- Saint Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK)
Contacts
- Project lead: Nadine Dubruc, Mines Saint-Étienne, Coactis
- Participants: Anis Hoayek
Sustainable Development Goals
The SobrIT 2 project explores digital sobriety strategies and practices within French SMEs and mid-sized companies (ETIs), with a dual objective: limiting the environmental impacts of information technologies while maintaining organisational performance. This project is based on the idea that digital sobriety is not limited to reducing the energy consumption of digital infrastructures (Green IT), but also involves a broader transformation of managerial practices. Drawing on more than 1,000 responses collected from SMEs and mid-sized companies nationwide, the project identifies the internal and external levers that facilitate the adoption of responsible digital practices. Still ongoing, it will provide an interactive platform enabling companies to track the evolution of their digital sobriety maturity. In parallel, the project is developing a practical methodology to support companies in implementing strategic action plans, tailored to their specific needs, in order to deploy the digital sobriety approach effectively.
Dates
2023-2024
Partners
Digital League
Contacts
- Project lead: Julien de Benedittis, Mines Saint-Étienne, Coactis
- Participants: Jean-Michel Degeorge, Nadine Dubruc, Michelle Mongo, Sophie Peillon
Keywords or themes
Digital sobriety; responsible digital; Green IT
Sustainable Development Goal
The RAMP-UP project aims to strengthen the agility and resilience of production systems for goods and services through decision-support methods and tools. More specifically, it focuses on the production ramp-up phase and examines current methods and practices implemented during this crucial stage of a product or service’s life cycle.
Based on a scientific and industrial state of the art, RAMP-UP II has led to the development of a methodological framework designed to support ramp-up projects. Furthermore, the project led to the development of decision-support tool prototypes based on multi-agent systems, with the goal of increasing the agility and flexibility of production systems.
Finally, RAMP-UP II extended the reflection on system agility and resilience beyond the ramp-up phase. This resulted in an in-depth exploration of the state of the art in methods, practices, and tools aimed at jointly improving the resilience and agility of production systems.
Dates
2022-2024
Partners
Technical University of Munich (TUM), IMT – Mines Saint-Étienne
Contacts
- Project lead: Khaled Medini, Luis Gustavo Nardin, Mines Saint-Étienne, LIMOS
- Participants: Cheikh Ahmed Mohamed Taleb, Kunruthai Meechang, Shervin Kadkhoda-Ahmadi, Qussay Jarrar, Olivier Boissier (scientific advisor).
Keywords or themes
Agile production, resilience, ramp-up projects, processes, modelling, autonomy, multi-agent systems
Sustainable Development Goal
Partners
Academic Partners
- International Association for Research in Entrepreneurship and SMEs
- Lest
- Innovation Research Network (RRI)
- International Research Network on Organizations and Sustainable Development (RIODD)
- AGRH
- Quebec Circular Economy Research Network (RRECQ)
- Laval University
- Information and Management Association (AIM)
- Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AEI)
- International Association of Strategic Management (AIMS)
- Creativity and Innovation Institute, Aix-Marseille University (InCIAM)
- ÉTS Montréal
- Lebanese University