Pepite: putting technological innovation within reach of SMBs

The B2I Building on the MINATEC campus is home to Pepite, which offers a full range of innovation services to manufacturers and, in particular, SMBs. Pepite helps businesses initiate the innovation process with full protection of confidential information. And, because Pepite’s services are backed by Leti’s world-class R&D staff, companies can innovate with limited technology-related risk.

Pepite’s services are delivered as part of a structured process:

– Creativity and user-centered innovation: Leti researchers and professionals from the participating company work together to identify potential new added-value products with MINATEC IDEAs Laboratory’s proven creativity and user-centered development methods.
The process begins at the 400 m² CEA showroom, where participants can find inspiration in the range of new technologies developed by CEA labs, and continues with creativity sessions designed to facilitate the emergence of new ideas.

– Short projects: End-to-end project engineering from the initial feasibility study to proof-of-concept and models. These short projects are hosted on a 650 m² floor of the B2I Building, with 18 fully-equipped, secure labs to ensure project confidentiality. A team of three to four people (a project manager, one or two experts, and one representative of the partner company) work on each project for six to twelve months. The average project cost is €70,000, and project spending is eligible for France’s R&D tax credit, which can substantially reduce businesses’ out-of-pocket expenses.

– Bilateral R&D contracts: The contracts can take the form of a project or joint lab and can continue up to the industrialization and manufacturing phases. The top floor of the B2I Building is home to 1,300 m² of facilities dedicated to R&D for the integrative industries.

Of the many projects Pepite has participated in, one worth noting is the design and commercialization of ELIOT smart piping in collaboration with RYB France.

Contact: celine.soubeyrat@cea.fr