On the occasion of the Minister of Defense's visit to the École polytechnique, the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) and the École Polytechnique reaffirm their commitment to research cooperation. Since 2003, this three-year agreement has enabled the École Polytechnique to benefit from substantial support for its research into the scientific challenges facing defense.
Through its support for research at the École polytechnique, the Direction générale de l'armement benefits from top-level scientific expertise in current and future defense technologies.
Over the past 12 years, 15 École X laboratories have benefited from this agreement, and more than 35 research projects have been carried out. Generally speaking, the research carried out under this agreement is closely linked to the interests of Defence, and concerns a wide range of scientific fields common to X and the interests of the DGA:
- Information engineering and robotics ;
- Fluids and structures ;
- Acoustic and radio waves ;
- Nanotechnologies ;
- Photonics ;
- Materials, chemistry and energy;
- Biology and biotechnology ;
- Environment and geosciences.
The agreement focuses on three priority research projects for the DGA:
- The XCAN project: towards a new generation of lasers
In collaboration with Thales, the XCAN (X-Coherent Amplifying Network) project aims to develop lasers based on fiber-optic networks, a promising way of achieving the high throughput and energy efficiency required for numerous defense and societal applications. Applications range from X-UV photolithography to the neutralization of hazardous chemical compounds, from the cleaning of satellite debris in space to the design of "sub-critical" nuclear reactors.
- Dependability of cyber-physical systems
Many industrial systems, but also those used in the defense sector, require adaptability, autonomy, efficiency, functionality, reliability, safety and ease of use. All these functions must first be verified using "proof-of-concept" tools developed by X scientists in partnership with ENSTA ParisTech and ENSTA Bretagne. The advances made by this project will also have applications in the fields of energy - particularly in the context of the energy transition with the development of "smart grids", automotive and transport, and healthcare.
- Additive manufacturing for new design processes
A real opportunity for innovation, the new additive manufacturing processes enable us to design innovative materials and original prototypes that were not conceivable using standard manufacturing processes. They are also revolutionizing operational maintenance issues. Thanks to modeling and digital simulations, X, in collaboration with ENSTA ParisTech, is testing and optimizing materials that can be designed using these new manufacturing techniques. Analysis of the structure and reliability of materials or microstructures completes their studies. This fast-growing field is attracting a great deal of industrial interest, with a huge range of applications.
Learn more: www.polytechnique.edu