This call for proposals was launched by the PULSALYS SATT and Université de Lyon through IDEXLYON. It aimed to identify research from laboratories that could be further developed to create innovative products and services to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and marginalized people.

The selection committee, presided by Alain Belli, Vice-President for the Promotion of Université Jean Monnet, was composed of laboratory representatives, local authorities, organizations and economic players.

They awarded eight projects. Four projects in the pre-maturation stage will receive €150,000 in funding from IDEXLYON, in order to reach the level of technical maturity to begin a maturation program.

• ODIMEDI - Digital tools on medico-social interpretation, led by Émilie Jouin and Nicolas Chambon (ICAR, ASLAN, CMW - ENS de Lyon)
• The LION project - Laboratory of innovations in neurocognitive and affective olfactory innovations, led by Moustafa Bensafi (CRNL, CRNS)
• Touch 4 Vision - Development of an instrumented white cane for the navigation of people with visual deficits, carried by Alessandro Farne and Alice Roy (CRNL & DDL, Inserm, CNRS)
• MANES - Mediation and digital accessibility for deaf students, led by Marion Fabre (ECP, Université Lumière Lyon 2)

And four projects in the maturation stage will receive investment funds from PULSALYS and begin a customized development program in order to transfer to an existing company or launch a start-up company.

• RAMFES - Rowing machine with functional electrical stimulation, led by Vance Bergeron (Physics Laboratory, ENS de Lyon)
• LUDISYMBOLES - Tools for early detection and remediation of visual dyslexia, led by Laure Pisella (CRNL, Inserm, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1)
• NO-VERB - System for detecting and exploiting facial micro-expressions for non-verbal communication, led by Olivier Alata (LaHC, Jean Monnet University) and Alexandre Meyer (LIRIS, Claude Bernard Lyon University 1)
• CAPTIV - Innovative device to help maintain physical activity (AP) by activity sensors (holter bracelet connected) in seniors, led by Christian Boissier (SNA-Epis, Jean Monnet University, Saint-Étienne University Hospital)

By supporting these innovative projects, IDEXLYON and PULSALYS are widening the virtuous circle of their complementary actions for local economic development that extends from academic research to the socio-economic world.