i-PhD and i-Lab 2026 Innovation Competition: six deep-tech projects recognised in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, including four from the UBE
In 2026, six projects originating from or linked to public research in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté were recognised as part of the i-PhD and i-Lab innovation competitions. Among them, three projects are led directly by researchers from the University of Burgundy Europe (UBE), demonstrating the capacity of public research to foster innovation and entrepreneurial projects.
Every year, the i-PhD and i-Lab innovation competitions, run by Bpifrance on behalf of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space, support innovative projects stemming from public research by providing them with financial support, accreditation and visibility.
In Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, three projects were winners of the i-PhD competition and three of the i-Lab competition in 2026. This success is part of a growing regional momentum within the BFC University Innovation Cluster, with support from the SATT Sayens, the DECA-BFC incubator, academic institutions, research teams and entrepreneurs.
Four UBE projects win the i-PhD competition
Launched in 2019, the i-PhD competition aims to encourage PhD students and recent PhD graduates to capitalise on their research findings and develop entrepreneurial projects.
D-LIGHT: developing photonics for the infrastructure of tomorrow
Led by Arnaud Rogemont at the ICB – Institut Carnot de Bourgogne (UMR 6303, Université Bourgogne Europe / CNRS / UTBM), D-LIGHT is developing photonic metrology equipment designed to characterise integrated photonic chips.
These technologies are set to play a key role in artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centres and optical communications. The project draws on two areas of expertise developed at the ICB: heterodyne interferometry and ultra-fast fibre lasers.
GOLDEN-ACT: towards more sustainable nuclear medicine
Maxime Cheveau, a researcher at ICMUB (UMR 6302, Université Bourgogne Europe / CNRS), is the i-PhD 2026 award winner for GOLDEN-ACT.
The project proposes a new approach to the management of radionuclides used in diagnosis and therapy, addressing in particular the challenges associated with radioactive waste and supply constraints.
LEXEMIA: improving specialised translations through AI
Sarah Theroïne, from the Centre Interlangues Texte, Image, Langage (TIL) (UR 4182 – Université Bourgogne Europe), is an i-PhD award winner for LEXEMIA.
The project is developing two AI-based SaaS tools: one designed to assess the idiomatic and stylistic quality of professional translations, and the other to automatically align multilingual corpora to produce usable and compliant training data.
ABTX: developing innovative antibody-drug conjugates against solid tumours
Meddy El Alaoui, co-founder of AbTx, a start-up spun out of ICMUB (University of Burgundy Europe), is an i-Lab 2026 award winner.
The project is developing a new generation of miniaturised antibody conjugates, known as FDCs, using the patented Therano-Stick™ enzymatic bioconjugation platform. This technology aims to improve the penetration of treatments into the centre of solid tumours, particularly in pancreatic cancer.
A drive for commercialisation in the service of innovation
These six awards illustrate the regional drive for technology transfer and the commercialisation of public research, driven by cooperation between research institutions, scientific teams, SATT Sayens and DECA-BFC, within the BFC University Innovation Cluster.
For the UBE, these results highlight the diversity of fields in which research can give rise to entrepreneurial projects: photonics, artificial intelligence, nuclear medicine, translation, biotechnology and oncology.
They also demonstrate the importance of support mechanisms in transforming scientific findings into innovations and entrepreneurial projects.