What Axel'One does

Axel'One is a French non-profit association (Association Loi 1901) founded in June 2011 that operates a collaborative innovation platform in the chemistry-environment sector, headquartered in Solaize with two additional sites in Villeurbanne (Axel'One Campus) and Saint-Fons (Axel'One PMI). The platform is built around three interconnected technology axes — catalysis and divided solids, advanced polymer materials, and smart process (digitalization of industrial processes) — and is backed by 11 founding members spanning industry (Arkema, Solvay/Syensqo, Elkem, Adisseo, Suez), public research (CNRS, IFPEN), and academia (UCBL, INSA Lyon, CPE Lyon, ENS Lyon). It serves three primary customer segments: TPE/PME (23 hosted companies) seeking access to expensive R&D infrastructure, large industrial groups seeking external innovation and academic collaboration, and academic laboratories seeking industrial validation and scale-up pathways.

The platform's core offering is shared access to more than €55M of mutualized scientific equipment and 9,000m² of dedicated infrastructure across three specialized sites that together cover the full innovation chain from fundamental research to industrial scale-up. Alongside physical hosting, Axel'One provides contract R&D services and a shared tools catalog, and channels funding from European (Horizon Europe), national (ANR, ADEME, Bpifrance, DGE, Investir Avenir), and regional (Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grand Lyon Métropole) sources into collaborative projects. The organization connects to three regional competitiveness clusters (Axelera, Polymeris, Techtera) for project labeling and ecosystem networking, and supports over 70 active or completed research projects while hosting 250 researchers.

Axel'One generates revenue through three streams: recurring hosting fees for laboratories, offices, and technological halls; professional R&D services delivered to industrial partners and project participants; and managed collaborative-project funding. As a non-profit, specific pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by project. The platform is governed jointly by its founding members and led by Executive Director Didier Bonnet (in role since 2013), with 33 direct employees supporting the broader hosted community. Recent strategic activity includes a collaboration with HORIBA (May 2025), the onboarding of deeptech startup Bobine (June 2025), and pre-announced site expansions at PMI (November 2026) and PPI (April 2027).

Name

Axel'One

Legal name

Axel'One

Website

https://axel-one.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Axel'One is a French non-profit innovation platform, founded 2011, that provides shared R&D infrastructure (€55M+ in equipment across three Lyon-region sites) and collaborative project support to SMEs, industrial groups, and academic laboratories in chemistry and advanced materials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Solaize

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hosting services: Provision of laboratories, offices, and technological halls to TPE/PME, academic laboratories, and industrial groups. Revenue generated through rental of physical infrastructure and shared equipment access.
2. R&D services: Contract research and development services provided to industrial partners and collaborative project participants. Technical expertise in catalysis, advanced materials, and smart process technologies.
3. Collaborative project funding: European, national, and regional funding for collaborative R&D projects (Horizon Europe, ANR, ADEME, Region AURA, etc.) channeled through the platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Axel'One is a collaborative innovation platform that provides shared hosting infrastructure, R&D services, and access to mutualized scientific equipment across three sites in the Lyon region. It supports SMEs (TPE/PME), academic laboratories, and industrial groups by hosting them on-site and running collaborative R&D projects in catalysis and divided solids, advanced polymer materials, and smart process technologies.

Product overview

Axel'One is a collaborative innovation platform in chemistry-environment operating across three interconnected sites in the Lyon region. The platform offers a unified portfolio of hosting services through three distinct facilities: Axel'One Campus (fundamental research), Axel'One PMI (industrial materials innovation), and Axel'One PPI (innovative processes). Alongside physical hosting, the platform provides R&D services and a shared tools catalog that enables SMEs, industrial companies, academic laboratories, and startups to access mutualized infrastructure, equipment, and expertise. The platform focuses on three strategic technology areas: catalysis and divided solids, advanced polymer materials, and smart process technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Axel'One Campus: Research platform site focused on fundamental research and innovative materials and processes, located at LyonTech-la Doua in Villeurbanne.
• Axel'One PMI
• Axel'One PPI

Products and services

• Axel'One Campus Research-focused hosting site in Villeurbanne offering laboratories and spaces dedicated to fundamental research projects in chemistry-environment and materials innovation, co-located with academic research organizations.
• Axel'One PMI Industrial development site in Saint-Fons focused on innovative materials, providing laboratories, technological halls, and pilot spaces for SMEs and industrial partners.
• Axel'One PPI Innovative processes site in Solaize (headquarters location) dedicated to process development and industrial scale-up for chemical and environmental applications.
• R&D Services (Prestations de R&D) Research and development services offered to hosted companies and external partners, providing access to expertise, equipment, and technical support for collaborative and contract R&D projects in chemistry-environment.
• Shared Tools Catalog (Catalogue des outils mutualisés) Catalog of shared scientific equipment and tools available to platform members, enabling access to over 55M€ of specialized instrumentation for research and development activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 TPE/PME hosted on platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered emerging and core.

• HORIBAemergingTechnology or Integration · 14 May 2025World leader in analysis technologies. Dr Masayuki Adachi (President & COO) visited Axel'One PPI on May 14, 2025 to explore collaboration in online analysis technologies. HORIBA brings industrial and technological capabilities to complement Axel'One's R&D environment and experimentation support.
• ArkemacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member of Axel'One association. Arkema contributes industrial expertise in specialty chemicals and materials, participates in collaborative R&D projects on advanced polymers and processes.
• CNRScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member and major academic research partner of Axel'One. CNRS provides fundamental research capabilities and access to academic laboratories across multiple sites.
• IFPEN (IFP Energies nouvelles)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Host of Axel'One PPI site in Solaize and founding member. IFPEN contributes expertise in energy, transport, and environment research, and has developed the PLUGIM open-source image analysis platform.
• Solvay (now Syensqo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member contributing expertise in advanced materials, polymers, and specialty chemicals. Participates in multiple collaborative projects including TAPAS, THERMOFIP, and NCF HP².
• ElkemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member providing expertise in silicones and silicon materials. Participates in collaborative projects including REPOS (silicone recycling) and SMOUSSIF (silicone foams).
• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member and academic partner, contributing research capabilities and hosting researchers within the Axel'One Campus ecosystem.
• AdisseocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member of Axel'One, providing industrial expertise in animal nutrition and specialty chemicals.
• INSA LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member and academic research partner contributing engineering expertise and hosting researchers.
• CPE LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member providing engineering school expertise and research capabilities in chemical engineering.
• ENS LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member contributing fundamental research expertise from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon.
• SuezcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Founding member contributing expertise in environmental services, water treatment, and circular economy solutions.
• AXELERA (Competitiveness cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Competitiveness cluster for Chemistry and Environment in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Labels collaborative projects and provides networking within the regional chemical industry.
• POLYMERIS (Competitiveness cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Competitiveness cluster for rubbers, plastics, and composites. Labels projects and connects platform to materials industry.
• TECHTERA (Competitiveness cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011Competitiveness cluster for textiles and flexible materials. Labels projects and connects platform to textile industry applications.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Axelera: French competitiveness cluster for chemistry and environment in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes that labels collaborative R&D projects and provides industry networking. Axel'One is itself a partner within Axelera; the cluster operates in the same regional chemistry ecosystem with overlapping members.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's leading network of applied research institutes operates shared R&D infrastructure, equipment, and pilot facilities on a collaborative model with industry and academia. Closely mirrors Axel'One's host-SME-academia triad, multi-site shared equipment model, and public/private co-funding structure, although at much greater scale.
• IRT Saint-Exupéry: French Technological Research Institute for aeronautics, space, and embedded systems that operates shared R&D platforms with industrial and academic partners. Comparable French IRT model of pooled public/private funding and shared infrastructure for collaborative research projects.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organization offering shared scientific infrastructure, contract R&D, and pilot facilities to industry and government. Comparable operating model and member-driven collaborative research structure, with a broader portfolio across chemistry, energy, and materials.
• Catapult Network UK: UK network of technology and innovation centres that provide shared infrastructure, equipment, and expertise to SMEs, industrial partners, and researchers. Mirrors Axel'One's role as a neutral collaborative R&D platform bridging academia and industry.
• IRT Jules Verne: French Technological Research Institute focused on advanced manufacturing, providing shared industrial R&D platforms funded by industrial members and public sources. Highly comparable as a French collaborative R&D platform operating shared equipment for industry-academic projects.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's applied research center offering shared pilot infrastructure, contract research, and technology transfer across chemistry, materials, and process industries. Comparable in being a publicly funded applied research platform serving industrial members and SMEs.
• Carnot Institutes Network: Network of French public research laboratories structured to deliver contract R&D to industry with shared research infrastructure and public co-funding. Comparable collaborative R&D model within France with similar public-private funding mechanisms.
• Polymeris: French competitiveness cluster for rubbers, plastics, and composites that labels and supports collaborative projects. Directly comparable as a competitiveness cluster working alongside Axel'One in the polymer and advanced materials space.

Broad incumbents

• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives): Major French public research organization operating extensive shared R&D platforms across energy, materials, and industrial processes. Overlaps with Axel'One's chemistry and process focus but operates at much greater scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AxelOne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Axel'One