Michelin has inaugurated a joint research laboratory with four academic partners, creating a framework intended to advance tire technology, improve manufacturing processes and develop new applications for flexible composites.
The partnership, called I-TireLab, brings together Michelin with the University of Poitiers, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble INP – UGA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The project represents a total investment of approximately €4.5 million over four years and was announced on Nov. 4.
The initiative aims 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 areas:
- Monitoring tire condition;
- Improving vehicle control systems;
- Optimizing rubber manufacturing;
- Exploring new applications for flexible materials.
One priority involves developing real-time estimates of tire wear and grip using data from sensors already fitted to vehicles, with the aim of assessing tire condition without additional specialized equipment.
Researchers also plan to investigate how tire condition and grip information can be incorporated into vehicle control systems, with the objective of optimizing braking performance and improving vehicle stability and efficiency.
A third area covers rubber manufacturing, where teams are developing simulation and control tools to help manufacturers plan equipment operations and optimize production settings while keeping rubber quality consistent and reducing raw-material waste and energy consumption.
The fourth area will examine how flexible materials influence air and water flows around objects. Researchers are developing control methods that can change the shape of components to modify the surrounding flows.
Test access and planned applications
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.
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 additional sensors, and is designed to work across vehicle brands and models.
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. Its first sail is currently in the delivery phase, according to the company.
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.
Under the arrangement, Michelin contributes expertise in tire simulation, materials, industrial processes and product-use data, while the academic partners 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.
I-TireLab director Guillaume Mercère 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 laboratory builds on existing collaboration between Michelin and the academic teams, establishing a longer-term framework for converting data into knowledge and practical solutions.