Businesses supporting research and advancing scientific excellence

According to Clarisse Angelier, Executive Director of the French national association for research and technology (ANRT), there is only one to compete with the United States, China and other global regions: “Europe must invest more heavily in innovation, science and R&D.” Indeed, from digitalisation to decarbonising activities and the energy transition, the challenges facing the world today are so vast and complex that they can only be understood—and overcome—through the contribution of scientific research. While the public sector plays a vital role in supporting research, notably by funding laboratories, private investment through business engagement is also key. The stakes are twofold: staying ahead of tomorrow’s challenges while turning today’s knowledge into real-world solutions. European businesses have taken this to heart: in 2023, European industry increased its R&D investment by nearly 10%—a growth rate that, for the first time since 2013, outpaced that of their American and Chinese counterparts[1]. Here’s a closer look at the various ways companies can support research in the service of the common good.

Sponsorship, partnerships: when business backs academic initiatives 

The primary way businesses support research organisations is through sponsorship, which plays a key role in supplementing public funding and making new research projects possible. That is why VINCI has chosen to support Hi! PARIS, the multidisciplinary research centre for artificial intelligence led by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, HEC and INRA, as well as Sciences Po’s Bruno Latour Fund, dedicated to environmental and climate issues.

This kind of support is especially valuable at a time when, as noted by the 2024 Corporate Philanthropy Barometer in France[2], scientific research ranks only eighth in the fields funded by philanthropy in France, accounting for just 2% of the total donations made by corporate donors. 

Beyond philanthropy, companies can also form strategic research partnerships, such as the one VINCI Airports has established with Centrale Lyon and EM Lyon to prepare Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport—operated by VINCI—for the forthcoming introduction of hydrogen (see box). This is one way to steer research towards the real, strategic challenges identified by the company. This is also the logic behind the lab recherche environnement, a networked R&D initiative focused on improving the environmental performance of buildings and infrastructure. The lab’s longevity, which stems from a 15-year collaboration between VINCI and three ParisTech schools (Mines Paris-PSL, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées ParisTech, and AgroParisTech), is a clear sign of the success of these long-term partnerships (see box).

Bringing expertise in-house: when companies hire researchers 

Bringing scientific expertise in-house is another way of supporting research—essential for anticipating developments in a complex and ever-changing world. One option is the CIFRE scheme, short for “Conventions industrielles de formation par la recherche”. Created 40 years ago and coordinated by the ANRT (French national association for research and technology), the scheme brings together a PhD student, a laboratory and a company around a shared research project, and now accounts for nearly 10% of all doctoral theses in France. VINCI already hosts close to 30 PhD students through the CIFRE programme and plans to significantly increase that number in the short to medium term. These new talents enrich the company by building valuable bridges between research and operations, and between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

But researchers also benefit from this collaboration: PhD students gain access to particularly fertile ground for exploration. “As a researcher, it’s very rewarding to see the knowledge you’ve generated applied directly to the issues you’re working on,” says Timothée Gérard, who is completing a PhD on the reproduction of the European hamster as part of a CIFRE agreement between the CNRS, the Office de génie écologique and VINCI Autoroutes. “Researchers may be able to generate knowledge, but they need partners to put it into practice. The transfer of knowledge from academia to industry is often complex. Being able to rely on people who are familiar with both sides makes it much easier,” he continues.

For researchers, working within a company also means privileged access to large volumes of real-world data—a valuable asset in many fields, such as artificial intelligence (AI). “AI requires real data, as opposed to the synthetic data often used in labs,” explains Bruno Daunay, head of the AI programme at Leonard. With more than 4,200 companies, VINCI offers exceptional access to a wide variety of data. More broadly, the diversity of the Group’s activities exposes PhD students to a broad range of use cases and technologies, greatly enriching their research experience. These testing grounds can also become long-term career opportunities for researchers who choose to continue their journey with VINCI after their contracts end. The Group, for its part, aims to promote researchers to operational and managerial roles, in order to better combine scientific expertise with leadership skills. And, alongside other companies committed to research, help France and Europe stay in the race—while supporting progress.

Sources :

[1] Représentation de la Commission européenne en France. Les entreprises de l’UE dépassent leurs homologues des États-Unis et de la Chine en termes de croissance des investissements dans la R&D. 18 décembre 2024. 

[2] Admical. Baromètre du mécénat d’entreprise 2024 – Les chiffres-clés 2024.