Michelin and four academic partners have inaugurated I-TireLab, a joint research laboratory intended to advance tire technology, improve manufacturing processes and develop new applications for flexible composites. The partnership, announced on Nov. 4, brings together the tire maker with the University of Poitiers, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble INP – UGA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and represents a total investment of approximately €4.5 million over four years.
According to the partners, the initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration between academic research and industrial application by combining data analysis, mathematical modelling and experimentation. The work is organised around four research areas.
Four research priorities
- Tire condition monitoring: developing real-time estimates of tire wear and grip from data produced by sensors already fitted to vehicles, so that tire condition can be assessed without additional specialised equipment.
- Vehicle control systems: investigating how tire condition and grip information can be incorporated into vehicle control systems, with the objective of optimising braking performance and improving vehicle stability and efficiency.
- Rubber manufacturing: building simulation and control tools that help manufacturers plan equipment operations and optimise production settings while maintaining consistent rubber quality and reducing raw material waste and energy consumption.
- Flexible materials: examining how flexible materials influence air and water flows around objects, and developing control methods that can change the shape of components in order to modify the surrounding flow.
Researchers will have access to industrial facilities, demonstrators and testing environments so that their methods can be evaluated under near-real-world conditions. Michelin said the findings could eventually contribute to future innovation projects.
Potential applications
One planned application is Michelin Touch Intelligence, a tire digital twin introduced by the company 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. The first sail is currently in the delivery phase, according to the company.
Roles, training and next steps
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 know-how 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 research teams and establishes a longer-term framework for converting data into knowledge and practical solutions.