UNIVERSITE DE LILLE

Their core work

Université de Lille is a large French research university with documented involvement in European photonics research and researcher training. Their H2020 participation spans two distinct but complementary tracks: fundamental nanophotonics research focused on nanocrystals and single-photon systems (Phonsi), and international researcher mobility programmes that connect academic and industrial photonics communities across Europe (MULTIPLY). In both cases they contribute as a third-party host institution, likely providing laboratory infrastructure, supervision capacity, or institutional affiliation to early-stage researchers funded through Marie Skłodowska-Curie mechanisms. Their actual photonics research breadth is almost certainly wider than two MSCA projects suggest — this profile captures only the slice visible in H2020 data.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The project record spans only 2015–2016 start dates, making a true temporal shift difficult to measure. The earlier project (Phonsi, 2015) had no recorded keywords and centred on fundamental nanophotonics science. The later project (MULTIPLY, 2016) brought an explicit focus on mobility, training, and the broader societal and economic impact of photonics — a vocabulary shift from laboratory research toward ecosystem development. If this two-project arc reflects a real institutional trend, Université de Lille appears to be moving from pure research participation toward a role as a training and mobility hub within the European photonics community.

Their trajectory points toward becoming a structured host institution for European photonics talent pipelines, making them a natural partner for future MSCA or Horizon Europe training networks in enabling technologies.

How they like to work

Université de Lille enters projects exclusively as a third party — never as coordinator and not as a named full participant — which typically means they contribute a specific research group, laboratory, or hosting capacity rather than driving the overall project. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 55 unique consortium partners across 23 countries, a figure explained by the large, multi-partner structure typical of MSCA Training Networks and COFUND programmes. This suggests they are comfortable operating inside complex international consortia without holding the leadership seat.

With 55 unique partners and presence in 23 countries from just two projects, Université de Lille's network is disproportionately broad relative to its project count — a direct consequence of MSCA programme structures that require wide institutional networks. The reach is pan-European with likely global extensions given MULTIPLY's international mobility mandate.

What sets them apart

Université de Lille occupies a specific niche as a French higher-education host for MSCA-funded photonics researchers, combining laboratory research capability in nanophotonics with the institutional infrastructure to receive and supervise mobile early-stage researchers. For a consortium builder, they bring both scientific credibility in an enabling technology sector and the administrative experience of hosting researchers under EU mobility rules. Their relatively low project count in H2020 also means they may have available capacity compared to more saturated large universities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MULTIPLY
  A six-year COFUND programme (2016–2022) explicitly designed to build the European photonics workforce through intersectoral mobility — unusually long duration and broad geographic scope for a training-focused project.
• Phonsi
  An MSCA Innovative Training Network targeting nanophotonics at the cutting edge of quantum light sources, linking fundamental nanocrystal science to practical single-photon device integration.