Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille

What Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille does

The Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL) is a public French research institution structured as a joint research unit (UMR 9017, affiliated with Inserm U1019) jointly overseen by CNRS, Inserm, Université de Lille, CHU Lille, and Institut Pasteur de Lille, and physically located on the Institut Pasteur de Lille campus. It concentrates 242 members — including 75 researchers and 69 engineers, technicians, and administrative staff — across 11 research teams that span molecular and cellular virology, evolutionary and environmental microbiology, apicomplexan parasite biology, mechanobiology of host-microbe interactions, antibacterial drug discovery, miniprotein therapeutics, mycobacteria and Bordetella, targeted immunomodulation for infection and lung disease, viral infection and chronicity, plague/Yersinia pestis, and Bordetella vaccinology. The unit's disease focus spans tuberculosis, plague, pertussis, cystic fibrosis-associated infections, HIV, and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD.

CIIL's product surface consists of three internal shared technological platforms rather than commercial offerings: ExploLung, a preclinical platform for functional lung exploration providing FlexiVent-based invasive measures, non-invasive plethysmography, oximetry, histology, organotypic lung slices, and lung organoids; the Biofab and Mechanobiology (BFM) platform providing microfabrication, 3D printing (SLA/DLP), microfluidics, organ-on-chip systems, and atomic force microscopy including multiple Bruker/JPK systems with super-resolution and FluidFM coupling; and the Biostatistics Core Facility delivering statistical support via R with R Markdown-based reproducible pipelines. These platforms serve the 11 internal research teams and, where structured collaborations exist, external academic and industry users.

The revenue model is non-commercial: CIIL is funded through institutional allocations from CNRS, Inserm, and Université de Lille, supplemented by competitive grants from French agencies (ANR, FRM), European programs (Horizon Europe, including the ERA4TB TB consortium), France 2030, and regional CPER contracts (such as CPER Ecrin supporting ExploLung). There is no disclosed commercial pricing; access to platforms for external partners operates via collaborative research agreements and technology-transfer arrangements rather than list-price sales. Customer-facing activity is conducted through the institutional website, bimonthly newsletters, LinkedIn and Bluesky accounts, public science-popularization events, and participation in conferences including the CPER Resist-omics international conference in December 2026.

Name

Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille

Legal name

Université de Lille

Website

https://ciil.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CIIL is a French public joint research unit (UMR 9017) affiliated with CNRS, Inserm, Université de Lille, CHU Lille, and Institut Pasteur de Lille, running 11 research teams in virology, bacteriology, parasitology, immunology, and mechanobiology, supported by three shared technology platforms (ExploLung, BFM, Biostat).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Infectious disease research
• Immunology research
• Preclinical lung research
• Mechanobiology platforms
• Biostatistics core facility

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As a public research institution affiliated with CNRS, Inserm, and Université de Lille, CIIL receives institutional funding from French government research agencies. Research activities are supported by national (ANR, FRM) and European (Horizon Europe) research grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIIL is a public academic research institution conducting fundamental and translational biomedical research in infectious diseases, immunology, microbiology, and respiratory health across 11 specialized research teams. Its core offerings are three shared technological platforms—the Biofab and Mechanobiology (BFM) Platform, the Biostatistics Core Facility, and the ExploLung Preclinical Platform for Functional Lung Exploration—which are made available to internal research teams and to external academic and industry collaborators through structured partnerships.

Product overview

CIIL operates as a research institution offering a portfolio of shared technological platforms rather than commercial products. The core offerings include three distinct platforms: the Biofab and Mechanobiology (BFM) Platform providing microfabrication and microscopy services; the Biostatistics Core Facility offering statistical analysis support; and the ExploLung Preclinical Platform for Functional Lung Exploration enabling respiratory research. These platforms serve CIIL's 11 research teams and are accessible to academic and industrial partners within structured collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biofab and Mechanobiology (BFM) Platform Shared technological facility providing microfabrication, 3D printing (SLA/DLP), microfluidics, atomic force microscopy (AFM) including Bruker-JPK NanoWizard V with STED super-resolution, NanoWizard III Ultra with FluidFM, BioScope Resolve, FastScan Bio, and Multimode 8, as well as super-resolution microscopy. Supports organ-on-chip technologies, bio-material interfaces, and advanced cell culture systems for CIIL teams and external collaborators.
• Biostatistics Core Facility Statistical analysis service supporting CIIL research teams throughout the entire research process, from experimental design to data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of results. Uses the R software environment with reproducible analysis pipelines developed using literate programming with R Markdown, applied to biological, clinical, and genomic data.
• ExploLung – Preclinical Platform for Functional Lung Exploration Preclinical platform dedicated to respiratory physiology providing in vivo pulmonary function analysis including invasive measurements (FlexiVent), non-invasive approaches (plethysmography), oximetry, and histological analyses. Also offers alternative models including organotypic lung slices and lung organoids. Operations supported by the CPER Ecrin project with dedicated technical staff ensuring quality, reproducibility, and traceability of generated data, accessible to the scientific community at local and national levels including cross-border collaborations with Belgium.

Named customers2 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreOthersNational French research agency and primary institutional partner. CNRS is a fundamental research organization operating under the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. CIIL operates as a joint research unit (UMR 9017) with CNRS involvement.
• Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale)coreOthersFrench National Institute of Health and Medical Research. CIIL is affiliated as U1019 (UMR 9017) with Inserm involvement. Multiple research teams include Inserm researchers.
• Université de LillecoreOthersHost university and publishing institution for the CIIL website. The university provides institutional oversight, graduate programs (Graduate Program 4i), and administrative support. Publishing Director is Mr. Régis Bordet, President of the University of Lille.
• CHU Lille (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille)majorOthersUniversity Hospital of Lille. CIIL engages in translational research bridging fundamental science and clinical applications, with CHU Lille serving as the clinical research partner.
• Institut Pasteur de LillecoreOthersCIIL is located on the Institut Pasteur de Lille campus. The institute provides physical infrastructure including the Pletha animal facility (conventional area, A2 area, and confined area with isolators). Collaboration on research projects and public health initiatives including 'Journées de prévention du printemps' events.
• ERA4TB (European Regimen Accelerator for Tuberculosis)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean tuberculosis research consortium. Dr. Inès Leleu, postdoctoral researcher at CIIL, is a member of the ERA4TB project, contributing to international efforts in tuberculosis drug development.
• CPER EcrinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPER (Contrat de Plan État-Région) Ecrin project provides support for the ExploLung platform. Dedicated technical staff ensures platform operation, guaranteeing quality, reproducibility, and traceability of generated data.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: France's flagship infectious-disease and immunology research institute headquartered in Paris. Directly comparable as a public biomedical research institution covering bacteriology, virology, immunology and vaccinology, and serving as the parent network for Institut Pasteur de Lille, which hosts CIIL.
• Karolinska Institutet: Swedish medical university with major research groups in infection biology, immunology and respiratory medicine. Comparable in combining fundamental infectious-disease research with translational medical orientation.
• Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research: Large German public research center covering infection biology, vaccines and antimicrobials. Comparable as a publicly funded infection-research center combining fundamental and translational science, with platform infrastructure and industry partnerships.
• EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory): Intergovernmental European research organization in molecular life sciences with multiple sites. Comparable as a public, multi-state-funded institute running structured research units and shared technology platforms.

Emerging players

• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK genomics-focused institute with growing infectious-disease and antimicrobial resistance portfolio. Comparable in operating core platforms and consortium-driven genomic/microbial research with public funding.

Direct peers

• Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine: German public research institute focused on tropical and infectious diseases including parasitology and bacteriology. Comparable in team-based organization, public funding, and integrated preclinical/translational research.
• Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology: Berlin-based Max Planck institute conducting fundamental research on infectious diseases and immunology, including TB, malaria and viral infections. Comparable in mission, structure, and translational orientation to CIIL, with similar team-based organization and platform facilities.
• Francis Crick Institute: Large UK biomedical research institute with multiple research groups covering infection, immunity and mechanobiology. Comparable in team-based structure, core facility model, and emphasis on cross-disciplinary disease research.

Others

• Inria (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology): French public research institute operating joint research units with CNRS and universities. Comparable as part of the broader French system of 'UMR' joint units that co-govern public research centers like CIIL, illustrating shared institutional governance and funding structures.

Regional players

• Institut Pasteur de Lille: Host institution of CIIL on its Lille campus, with overlapping focus on infection, immunity and public health. Comparable as a French public biomedical research center targeting infectious and chronic inflammatory diseases in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/ciilofficiel.bsky.social
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-infection-and-immunity-of-lille-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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