Mines Saint-Étienne organizes its academic and research activities around five centers of excellence. Focusing on priority themes, these centers mobilize teaching and research staff, engineers, technicians and doctoral students to respond to major ecological, digital, industrial and societal transitions.
Organized into departments, these clusters are structured on an interdisciplinary and partnership basis. Departments are part of joint research units or are associated with common research teams, enabling them to reinforce synergies and contribute to collaborative projects. They also benefit from state-of-the-art technological infrastructures, encouraging innovation and networking.
Thanks to this unique organization, at the crossroads of industrial and academic issues, each center is positioned according to its fields of application, in close synergy with the scientific clusters of Lyon – Saint-Étienne and Aix-Marseille. This approach enables Mines Saint-Étienne to stand out for its unique ability to meet the needs of industry while maintaining a high level of academic excellence.
Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering
The Centre for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering (CIS) at Mines Saint-Étienne is a center of excellence dedicated to research and training in the healthcare field. Located at the heart of the Saint-Étienne Health Cluster, alongside the University Hospital (CHU) and the Faculty of Medicine, the CIS fosters collaborations with industry and hospitals. Its activities cover themes such as biomechanics, biomaterials, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and the optimization of care systems. The center boasts advanced technical platforms, including the 3DFabLab, biomechanical and tribocorrosion testing laboratories, and a virtual hospital for simulating care pathways. These infrastructures enable translational research and the development of innovations for personalized medicine and public health.
Centre of Microelectronics in Provence
The Centre of Microelectronics in Provence (CMP) at Mines Saint-Étienne is a center of excellence dedicated to research and development in the field of microelectronics and its innovative applications. Specializing in themes such as flexible electronics, bioelectronics, embedded system security, and industrial optimization, the CMP combines fundamental research with industrial partnerships to address contemporary technological challenges. With cutting-edge infrastructures like its cleanroom and technological platforms, the CMP actively contributes to innovation in electronics, healthcare, and IoT.
Henri Fayol Institute
The Henri Fayol Institute at Mines Saint-Étienne is a multidisciplinary training and research center dedicated to digital, ecological, and industrial transformations. It aims to enhance the efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of future industries and regions. The institute implements a strategy integrating expertise in mathematical and industrial engineering, computer science and intelligent systems, environmental and organizational engineering, as well as responsible management and innovation. This expertise is synergized with laboratories such as EVS UMR 5600, LIMOS UMR 6158, and COACTIS. The institute thus contributes to global industrial performance, creating value for all stakeholders, in harmony with the regions in which they operate.
Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering
The Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering (SMS) center at Mines Saint-Étienne is a center of excellence dedicated to research, education, and innovation in the field of material development, processing, and in-service performance. Established in 1994, the SMS center develops complementary and balanced activities between experimental and numerical aspects, integrated within the Georges Friedel laboratory (UMR CNRS 5307). Research areas include mechanics and direct manufacturing processes, physics and mechanics for metallurgy, as well as physical mechanics and interfaces. The SMS center is recognized as a major player in addressing issues of component durability and energy efficiency in industrial processes.
Christophe DESRAYAUD
Centre for Chemical Engineering
The Centre for Chemical Engineering (SPIN) at Mines Saint-Étienne is a center of excellence dedicated to research, education, and technology transfer in the field of process engineering applied to dispersed systems such as grains, particles, droplets, bubbles, and porous media. SPIN develops its expertise in various areas, including the dynamics of heterogeneous and granular systems, multi-physical and multi-scale modeling, multiphase transfers, as well as physicochemical characterizations and in-situ analyses. It relies on technological development skills, from instrumentation to process, to address challenges in energy, eco-efficient factories, and surface geosciences. This organization enables interdisciplinary research and the development of innovative solutions in collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Through the complementarity of its five centers, Mines Saint-Étienne positions itself as a major player in innovation serving the great transitions, by fostering synergies between research, education, and industrial applications. The School continues its commitment to responsible and sustainable innovation, meeting the needs of industry, society, and the challenges of the future.