Transfer of the ESPCI Paris Research and Development Team to PSL

Paris Sciences et Lettres has taken a major step forward in innovation and technology transfer to support economic development: the integration into PSL of the commercialization team from ESPCI Paris, a member of PSL, was definitively approved by the Board of Directors of the school, which met on June 28, 2016, and by the PSL Board of Directors on July 7.

Given ESPCI Paris’s track record and exceptional productivity in the areas of innovation and technology transfer, this decision represents a major step forward for the ambitious Paris Sciences et Lettres project and demonstrates the collective commitment to building a new model of a world-class
integrated research university.

The integration of the ESPCI commercialization team marks an acceleration in the growth of PSL-Valorisation, which will now be responsible for commercializing a portion of the existing and future patents from ESPCI’s laboratories. This expansion of its intellectual property portfolio will strengthen its socioeconomic impact and increase opportunities for creating and developing startups based on these patents.
This integration also reinforces PSL-Valorisation’s model, inspired by that of ESPCI, under the leadership of PSL’s Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Jacques Lewiner, who is himself an alumnus of the school. This model is characterized by a focus on proximity, simplicity, and responsiveness, as well as a priority given to disruptive technologies and the creation of innovative companies. The originality and value of this model have, in fact, just been recognized by the government, which announced on June 8 that Paris Sciences et Lettres is one of three pilot projects for new commercialization models selected to bridge the gap between public research and businesses.
“This agreement with ESPCI Paris is a major milestone for PSL, which will strengthen the impact and visibility of PSL-Valorisation and make a crucial contribution to the integration process of the PSL Research University,” said Thierry Coulhon, president of Paris Sciences et Lettres.

“There is one value that sets the school apart in the field of commercialization: ESPCI Paris gives its researchers the freedom to choose how to commercialize the results of their work. “We rank among the leaders in innovation, with 54 patents and 3 startups per year, even though we did not establish an internal commercialization department until 2011″
said Jean-François Joanny, Executive Director of ESPCI Paris.