Michelin and four academic partners have inaugurated a joint research laboratory in Clermont-Ferrand, France, aimed at advancing tire technology, improving manufacturing processes and developing new applications for flexible composites.
The partnership, named 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). Announced on Nov. 4, the project represents a total investment of approximately €4.5 million over four years and is intended to strengthen collaboration between academic research and industrial application by combining data analysis, mathematical modeling and experimentation.
Four research areas
- Tire condition monitoring: developing real-time estimates of tire wear and grip from data produced by sensors already fitted to vehicles, so that condition can be assessed without additional specialized equipment.
- Vehicle control systems: investigating how tire condition and grip information can be incorporated into vehicle control systems, with the objective of optimizing braking performance and improving stability and efficiency.
- Rubber manufacturing: building simulation and control tools that help manufacturers plan equipment operations and optimize production settings while keeping rubber quality consistent 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 change the shape of components to modify the surrounding flows.
Testing under near-real-world conditions
I-TireLab will give researchers access to industrial facilities, demonstrators and testing environments so their methods can be evaluated under conditions close to real-world use. Findings could eventually contribute to future Michelin innovation projects.
One planned application is 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 work on 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; according to the company, the first sail is in the delivery phase.
Division of roles
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 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.