On 8 February 2025, the IMREDD (Institut Méditerranéen du Risque, de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable) was honoured to welcome Clara Chappaz, the French Minister for Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, for a visit rich in exchanges and discoveries.

Welcomed by Emmanuel Tric, director of IMREDD, and Jeanick Brisswalter, president of Université Côte d’Azur, the minister was able to discover the innovative projects supported by the institute, which are fully in line with the challenges of digital transformation and ecological transition in the region.

A technological journey

Discovering the Smart Home
The visit began with a presentation of initiatives being undertaken concerning the housing of the future. Roberta Pennucci (IMREDD), accompanied by partners Ludotic, Videtics, SMEG, and Charge Angels, illustrated how smart technologies are transforming our living spaces to make them more sustainable, connected, and adapted to the needs of residents.

Focus on autonomous shuttles and mobility innovations
Before the autonomous shuttles parked on the technology platform, Paulo Moura presented the advancements of the «Territory and Autonomous Shuttles» Chair. The potential of autonomous vehicles in various contexts – from dense cities to rural areas – was highlighted. This demonstration was complemented by the presentation of the tourist AI chatbot developed by Webelse.

Bonsaï and 5GMetro Projects
The minister then discovered the Bonsaï project, presented by Paulo Moura and SII, which aims to optimise technological solutions for smart territories. In parallel, the 5GMetro project, in partnership with Orange, highlights the use of 5G and telepresence robots to meet the connectivity and social needs of students who are unable to attend classes for health reasons.

Waste valorisation and additive manufacturing
Arnaud Zenerino (IMREDD), accompanied by Volumic 3D, presented an innovative project aimed at transforming waste from laboratories into durable functional parts through additive manufacturing. Subsequently, Klearia, a start-up based at IMREDD, presented its intelligent water quality monitoring solutions.

Strategic projects presented at the showroom

The second part of the visit took place in the IMREDD showroom, where several strategic initiatives were highlighted:

• Project Serenity Paulo Moura and Inocess presented this real-time multimodal flow analysis solution to maximise the agility of security teams.
• Meridia Energy Community This project aims to optimise renewable energy exchanges within the Nice Méridia eco-district to improve local energy resilience.
• Project «Act and Innovate for Water» Emmanuel Tric presented this initiative, which has been awarded a label as part of the Innov'Eau France 2030 call for projects, that develops a hypervision platform for improved management of the water cycle.

A visit marked by innovation

This visit highlighted the central role of IMREDD in the territorial innovation ecosystem. Emmanuel Tric recalled the importance of these collaborative projects for transforming environmental, energy, and societal challenges into opportunities for sustainable innovation.

IMREDD thanks Clara Chappaz for her visit and for her attention to local initiatives that are helping to shape the smart and resilient territories of tomorrow.