Michelin and four academic partners have inaugurated a joint research laboratory in Clermont-Ferrand, France, aimed at advancing tire technology, improving manufacturing processes and developing new applications for flexible composites.
The I-TireLab partnership brings together Michelin, the University of Poitiers, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble INP – UGA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Announced on Nov. 4, the project represents a total investment of about €4.5 million over four years.
According to the partners, the laboratory is designed to strengthen the link between academic research and industrial application by combining data analysis, mathematical modelling and experimentation.
Four research priorities
Work at the laboratory will be organised around four areas:
- Tire condition monitoring: teams will pursue real-time estimates of tire wear and grip based on data from sensors already fitted to vehicles, with the aim of assessing tire condition without additional specialised equipment.
- Vehicle control systems: researchers plan to study how information about tire condition and grip can be incorporated into vehicle control systems in order to optimise braking performance and improve stability and efficiency.
- Rubber manufacturing: simulation and control tools are being developed to help manufacturers plan equipment operations and tune production settings while keeping rubber quality consistent and reducing raw-material waste and energy consumption.
- Flexible materials: the fourth strand will examine how flexible materials influence air and water flows around objects, with researchers developing control methods that change the shape of components to modify the surrounding flow.
I-TireLab will give researchers access to industrial facilities, demonstrators and testing environments so that their methods can be evaluated under near-real-world conditions. The partners say findings could eventually contribute to future Michelin innovation projects.
Links to Michelin programmes
One planned application is Michelin Touch Intelligence, a tire digital twin the company introduced in May 2026. The technology combines vehicle sensor data with Michelin models to estimate tire pressure, wear, load and grip in real time without requiring additional sensors, and is designed to work across vehicle brands and models.
The laboratory's research into flexible composites could also support Wisamo, Michelin's inflatable and retractable automated wingsail for ships, which uses wind to supplement vessel propulsion and reduce fuel consumption. According to the company, the first sail is currently in the delivery phase.
Roles and researcher training
Philippe Jacquin, Michelin's general manager and director of research and development, said the partnership would help translate scientific research into practical innovations involving tires, manufacturing and tire-vehicle interactions.
Michelin will contribute its expertise in tire simulation, materials, industrial processes and product-use data, while the academic partners will provide theoretical and methodological expertise to develop and validate new approaches. The collaboration will also support the training of young researchers working across fundamental research, experimentation and industrial applications.
Guillaume Mercère, director of I-TireLab, and co-directors John Martinez-Molina and Thibault Dairay said the initiative would bring researchers, engineers and young scientists together to improve mobility safety, manufacturing processes and applications for flexible materials. The partnership builds on existing collaboration between Michelin and the academic research teams and establishes a longer-term framework for converting data into knowledge and practical solutions.