IMS Laboratory

What IMS Laboratory does

IMS Laboratory (Laboratoire de l'Intégration du Matériau au Système) is a French public research laboratory operating as joint research unit UMR5218 under the governance of CNRS, the University of Bordeaux, and Bordeaux Aquitaine INP. Founded on January 1, 2007, through the merger of three predecessor units (IXL, PIOM, and LAPS), it is headquartered at 351 Cours de la Libération, Talence, France, and employs approximately 134 people. Its research is organized around nine interconnected themes spanning bioelectronics, cognitics, production engineering, signal and image processing, automatic control, circuit design, reliability, waves (including terahertz), and organic electronics, supported by shared cross-platform facilities for accelerated aging, mechanical testing, assembly, and analysis.

The laboratory's technology base combines materials science, microelectronics, bioelectronics, and systems engineering in an integrative material-to-system approach, producing 11,800+ scientific publications and 186 patents over its lifetime. Notable capabilities include terahertz imaging, organic solar cells and printed electronics, neuromorphic hardware based on spintronics, organ-on-chip and biosensor platforms, fractional-order CRONE control systems, and reliability testing for wide-bandgap semiconductors (GaN/SiC) and FinFET devices. Industrial partners include Thales (anchored by the GIS ALBATROS consortium), STMicroelectronics, Stellantis, NXP, CEA Leti, CEA Gramat, SEQENS, and Slb, with 15 international and 20 institutional collaborators.

As a non-profit, IMS does not sell commercial products. Its revenue model is built on three streams: base institutional funding from CNRS, University of Bordeaux, and Bordeaux INP; competitive public research grants from ANR and EU framework programs; and direct industrial partnership contracts, including CIFRE doctoral theses (industrial research training agreements) launched at a rate of approximately 7 per year. The 2026 four-year renewal of GIS ALBATROS with Thales and Aquitaine academic partners, alongside ongoing ANR projects such as MIGNON and PLAYER-ONE, indicates continued institutional momentum in its funding and partnership architecture.

Name

IMS Laboratory

Legal name

Laboratoire de l'Intégration du Matériau au Système (IMS) / UMR 5218

Website

https://ims-bordeaux.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IMS Laboratory is a French public research lab (UMR5218) jointly operated by CNRS, University of Bordeaux, and Bordeaux INP. It conducts interdisciplinary research across bioelectronics, microelectronics, signal processing, and reliability, partnering with industrial firms such as Thales, STMicroelectronics, and Stellantis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research & Development Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Automation, Sample Prep & Liquid Handling (IVD Lab Diagnostics) (HLAHAAAN)

Keywords

• Microelectronics research
• Bioelectronics research
• Organic electronics
• Semiconductor reliability testing
• Interdisciplinary research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Talence

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, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Primary funding from CNRS, French National Research Agency (ANR), and European research programs. Includes ANR projects (MIGNON, PLAYER-ONE) and EU framework programs
2. Industrial Partnership Contracts: Direct research collaborations with industrial partners including STMicroelectronics, Thales, Stellantis, NXP, CEA, and others. CIFRE doctoral thesis funding (French Industrial Agreements for Training through Research)
3. University Institutional Funding: Base funding from University of Bordeaux and Bordeaux INP as joint research unit of CNRS

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IMS Laboratory is a public research institution that conducts interdisciplinary research and provides research services across nine interconnected themes spanning bioelectronics, cognitics, production engineering, signal/image processing, automatic control, circuit design, reliability, waves, and organic electronics. Its offering combines collaborative applied research for industrial partners (Thales, STMicroelectronics, Stellantis, NXP, CEA), shared access to specialized technological platforms (accelerated aging, mechanical, assembly, analysis), CIFRE-funded doctoral training programs, and patent licensing.

Product overview

IMS Laboratory (Laboratory for the Integration from Material to System) is a joint research unit of CNRS, University of Bordeaux, and Bordeaux INP. It is not a product company but rather a research laboratory established in 2007 through the merger of three research units (IXL, PIOM, and LAPS). The laboratory provides research services and technological platforms across nine interconnected research themes spanning bioelectronics, cognitics, production engineering, signal and image processing, automatic control, circuit design, reliability, waves, and organic electronics. The laboratory's offerings include access to specialized technical resources, research collaboration services with industrial and institutional partners, and participation in collaborative research projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Platforms and Technological Resources Access to specialized technological platforms and equipment across multiple domains including accelerated aging, mechanical testing, assembly, and analysis & stand facilities, as well as interaction, complex systems, integration, and component platforms. Offered to academic and industrial research partners.
• Technical Research Services Expert research services delivered across nine interconnected themes: bioelectronics, cognitics, production engineering, signal and image processing, automatic control, circuit design, reliability, waves, and organic electronics. Targeted at industrial partners, academic collaborators, and public agencies.
• Industrial Collaboration Services Collaborative research partnerships with industrial partners including STMicroelectronics, Stellantis, Thales (via GIS ALBATROS), NXP, CEA Leti, CEA Gramat, SEQENS, and Slb for applied research and development, CIFRE doctoral training, and technology transfer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 186 patents filed by the laboratory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Thales (GIS ALBATROS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026GIS ALBATROS ('Alliance Between universities in Aquitaine and Thales in Research on aviOnics Systems') Scientific Interest Group renewed for 4 years in June 2026. Coordinates research in avionics, human-system interaction, signal processing, electronic architectures, and aeronautical manufacturing. On average 7 CIFRE doctoral theses launched annually with 115 PhDs funded since 2010. Partners include University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, CNRS, University of Poitiers, University of Limoges, and Thales.
• STMicroelectronicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial collaboration on circuit design, semiconductor reliability testing, and microelectronics research
• StellantismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial collaboration on automotive electronics, embedded systems, and manufacturing research
• NXPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial collaboration on semiconductor design and reliability research
• CEA LeticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on microelectronics, nanotechnology, and semiconductor technologies
• CEA GramatmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on electromagnetic compatibility and reliability of electronic systems
• SEQENSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial collaboration on bioelectronics and healthcare technologies
• Slb (Schlumberger)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial collaboration on energy systems and sensor technologies
• University of BordeauxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research unit (UMR5218) with shared governance and research programs
• Bordeaux INPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research unit (UMR5218) with shared governance and research programs
• CNRScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner as joint research unit UMR5218, affiliated with CNRS Ingénierie and CNRS Sciences Informatiques
• ITERGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration in food science and technology

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CEA-Leti: French government research institute (CEA) focused on microelectronics, MEMS, and nanotechnology. Listed as an active IMS partner and is the most directly comparable French public research lab in terms of scope, model, and industrial partnerships.
• INRIA: French national computer science and applied mathematics research institute with similar CNRS-affiliated joint research unit model. Overlaps on signal/image processing, control systems, and AI/neuromorphic research.
• LAAS-CNRS: Another CNRS joint research unit in Toulouse focused on automation, signal processing, and embedded systems. Same CNRS institutional model with strong overlap in automatic control, signal/image processing, and microelectronics.
• IMEC: Belgium-based leading semiconductor and nanoelectronics R&D center with similar public-private model, industrial co-funding, and broad partner ecosystem. Directly comparable in microelectronics and bioelectronics research themes.
• IEMN (Institut d'Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie): French CNRS joint research unit covering microelectronics, nanoelectronics, and MEMS. Highly comparable in microelectronics, organic electronics, and semiconductor reliability research themes.
• Fraunhofer Institute (Society): Germany's applied research organization with similar applied-research-for-industry model, broad thematic institutes, and CIFRE-equivalent industrial PhD programs. Most analogous European applied research structure.
• Max Planck Institute (Society): Germany's fundamental research organization with comparable public funding model and broad thematic institutes. Comparable scale and research breadth across physics, materials, and bioelectronics-adjacent fields.

Broad incumbents

• Argonne National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with similar large-scale public research model, broad thematic research areas, and industrial partnership programs. Comparable institutional scale and interdisciplinary scope.
• ETH Zurich Research Labs: Larger Swiss university research ecosystem covering similar domains (microelectronics, bioengineering, materials) with comparable industrial collaboration models. Broader scope but with overlapping research areas.

Regional players

• CNES (French Space Agency) R&D Partners: French public aerospace research organization with adjacent focus on electronic systems, reliability, and signal processing. Comparable in French aerospace-electronics ecosystem and partner network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ims-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 IMS Laboratory