Michelin has inaugurated a joint research laboratory with four academic partners in Clermont-Ferrand, France, aimed at advancing tire technology, improving manufacturing processes and developing new applications for flexible composites. The I-TireLab partnership was announced on Nov. 4 and represents a total investment of approximately €4.5 million over four years.
The partners are Michelin, the University of Poitiers, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble INP – UGA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The initiative is intended to strengthen collaboration between academic research and industrial applications by combining data analysis, mathematical modeling and experimentation.
Four research priorities
The laboratory will focus on four research areas:
- Tire condition monitoring: developing real-time estimates of tire wear and grip from data produced by existing onboard vehicle sensors, with the aim of assessing tire condition without additional specialized equipment.
- Vehicle control: investigating how tire condition and grip information can be incorporated into vehicle control systems to optimize braking performance and improve vehicle stability and efficiency.
- Rubber manufacturing: developing simulation and control tools to help manufacturers plan equipment operations and optimize production settings while maintaining consistent rubber quality and reducing raw material waste and energy consumption.
- Flexible materials: examining how flexible materials can influence air and water flows around objects, and developing control methods that can change the shape of components to modify surrounding flows.
I-TireLab will give researchers access to industrial facilities, demonstrators and testing environments so their methods can be evaluated under near-real-world conditions. Findings could eventually contribute to future Michelin innovation projects.
Planned applications
One planned application involves 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 the development of Wisamo, Michelin's inflatable and retractable automated wingsail for ships. The system uses wind to supplement vessel propulsion and reduce fuel consumption; according to the company, its 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 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 flexible-material applications.
The partnership builds on existing collaboration between Michelin and the academic teams and establishes a longer-term framework for converting data into knowledge and practical solutions.