Partner laboratories
Your campus has its own laboratory. Literally.
You might imagine research as a world of its own, reserved for a handful of researchers working in isolation in a building that nobody ever visits. At 3iL Ingénieurs, it’s quite the opposite: research is an integral part of your training experience, just like your lectures and projects.
Thanks to strong partnerships with renowned CNRS laboratories and local universities, on each of our campuses (Limoges, Rodez and Nantes), you will be right at the heart of a vibrant and accessible scientific ecosystem. Your lecturers and researchers work there as associate researchers, in stimulating and demanding environments. This close involvement directly enhances the quality of your teaching and opens up real opportunities if you wish to take things further: a laboratory placement, a research project or a PhD.
Limoges: from robotics to radio waves and virtual worlds
If you are studying in Limoges, your research environment is closely linked to the University of Limoges and two major research laboratories.
XLIM is a joint CNRS research unit (UMR 7252) which carries out research in several scientific fields: electronics, microwave technology, optics, photonics, mathematics, computer science, imaging, telecommunications, secure environments, bioengineering and energy. The research areas associated with 3iL Ingénieurs include, in particular, cooperation between autonomous robots operating in complex environments, antenna systems for telecommunications, space applications and radar, and the creation of realistic images and virtual environments (textures, natural phenomena, simulated worlds).
HAVAE is a research unit at the University of Limoges (UR 20217), whose work focuses on disability, activity, ageing, independence and the environment. Its links with 3iL Ingénieurs enable it to tackle topics at the intersection of computer science, health and immersive technologies, particularly in the fields of virtual and mixed reality.
In practical terms, if you’re interested in robotics, radio waves, virtual worlds or technologies that promote independence, you have a scientific playground right at your fingertips where these topics aren’t just science fiction: they’re active research projects, right on your doorstep.
Rodez: making sense of data
If you are studying in Rodez, your research environment forms part of IRIT, the Toulouse Institute for Research in Computer Science, a joint CNRS research unit (UMR 5505) and one of France’s leading computer science laboratories.
The academic staff involved are engaged in research areas relating to information systems, data access, the analysis of large volumes of data and decision support. Here, research focuses on transforming complexity into actionable insights:
- to facilitate access to relevant information within large datasets;
- to design models, languages and tools to make better use of information;
- support decision-making through intelligent systems;
- to uncover useful information within complex datasets.
If you’re the sort of person who wants to understand how to turn a mass of raw data into a useful decision, this is exactly the area you’ll be getting to grips with in Rodez.
Nantes: managing the systems that keep the real world running
If you are studying in Nantes, your research will take place at LS2N, the Nantes Digital Sciences Laboratory, a joint CNRS research unit (UMR 6004) specialising in digital sciences.
The research carried out here focuses on the design, control, monitoring and supervision of complex systems: industrial and logistics systems, product/service systems, cyber-physical systems, or, more broadly, environments in which multiple components need to be modelled, controlled, monitored and improved, using approaches that combine knowledge, models and data.
If you want to learn how to operate real, connected systems with genuine industrial implications at stake, this is the field of research that awaits you in Nantes.
What this means for you in practical terms
These partnerships are not just a line in a brochure: they open up real opportunities for you to undertake laboratory placements, take part in research projects, attend scientific conferences, or go on to do a PhD if you wish to take your studies further.
If you are interested in research, these links will enable you to discover how a laboratory works, to work on real-world scientific problems, and to gain a better understanding of what is required for a PhD programme. Even if you are not aiming to write a thesis, this exposure will still provide you with a scientific grounding that is useful in many engineering roles: R&D, innovation, data, AI, cybersecurity, complex systems or digital transformation.
FAQ
Your questions, our answers
The main partner laboratories are XLIM, HAVAE, IRIT and LS2N, based respectively in Limoges (XLIM and HAVAE), Rodez (IRIT) and Nantes (LS2N).
They introduce you to academic research, facilitate certain laboratory placements, create pathways to a PhD, and enrich your studies with topical scientific themes.
Yes. If you are interested in research, you can follow a pathway leading to a PhD, thanks to the links between the school, the academic staff and partner laboratories.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, data, information systems, imaging, virtual reality, telecommunications, complex systems, monitoring, digital health and independent living.