EZUS LYON

What EZUS LYON does

EZUS Lyon is a French research valorization company (Société Anonyme à Directoire) and wholly-owned subsidiary of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, headquartered in Villeurbanne. Founded in 1990 as one of France's pioneering university-industrial commercialization entities — established alongside Curie (Paris) and Provalis (Strasbourg) — it serves as the legal and financial operator for collaborative research contracts between UCBL's public laboratories and private industrial partners. The company manages the administrative, contractual, recruitment, and fiscal compliance lifecycle of these collaborations, including CIFRE doctoral convention handling, CIR and CICO Research Tax Credit structuring, and RIPH regulatory dossier support for human-subject research.

The company's technology stack consists of two proprietary web portals: EzusNet (launched 2010), an online portal for tracking project finances and operations, and the Extranet EZUS Lyon (deployed 2020), which provides researchers with secure real-time access to their project data. These platforms sit atop a service organisation that delivers administrative and financial management across 17,000+ accounts since inception, currently handling 400+ new contracts annually through a team supporting 60+ laboratories and engaging 500+ researchers per year. The platform is positioned as a workflow and visibility tool rather than as standalone commercial software.

EZUS Lyon monetises through negotiated professional-services fees on multi-year contracts, with no publicly disclosed standard pricing. Revenue is approximately €15 million per year. The customer base spans very small firms (TPE) to global groups, including 110+ pharmaceutical clients, deeptech startups (e.g., 3Deus Dynamics), defense agencies (DGA, via Cristal Innov), and large consumer-goods manufacturers (TEFAL/SEB). Distribution is direct B2B via the company website, LinkedIn, and phone/email; no marketplace or reseller channels exist. The operating geography is regional/national with 0% international revenue at present, though the company advertises growing global collaboration impact. Strategic certifications include Qualiopi (2024-2027), CIR-approved structure status, and GDPR-compliant data handling.

Name

EZUS LYON

Legal name

EZUS Lyon

Website

https://ezuslyon.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EZUS Lyon is the wholly-owned research valorization subsidiary of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, providing administrative, financial, and contractual management of public-private R&D collaborations for 60+ academic laboratories and 110+ industrial clients across pharmaceutical, defense, consumer goods, and deeptech sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Administration Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG), Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Research valorization services
• Contract research management
• Academic-industrial collaboration
• R&D administration services
• Public-private research partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Contract Management Services: Fees earned for managing administrative and financial aspects of research collaborations between public laboratories and industrial partners. The company acts as a financial and legal operator for research contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EZUS Lyon provides unified administrative, financial, and contract management services to facilitate collaborations between public research laboratories (notably 60+ UCBL laboratories) and industrial partners. Services include research contract negotiation and management, accounting/expense/reimbursement handling, recruitment (CIFRE doctoral conventions), regulatory support (RIPH), and fiscal incentive advisory (CIR/CICO). Two proprietary digital platforms—EzusNet and the Extranet EZUS Lyon—provide researchers and partners with real-time project and financial tracking.

Product overview

EZUS Lyon is a research valorization company (filiale) of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 that provides a unified platform of administrative, financial, and contract management services to facilitate collaborations between public research laboratories and industrial partners. The core offering consists of online portals—EzusNet for financial project tracking and the Extranet EZUS Lyon for researcher data access—supplemented by specialized services including RIPH support for human research studies, CIFRE doctoral collaboration management, and fiscal incentive advisory for CIR/CICO eligibility. The company does not offer distinct commercial software products but rather acts as a service organization managing research contracts and providing an interface between academia and industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EzusNet Online portal for managing and tracking project finances, enabling researchers to follow operations and access real-time visibility into their project accounts.
• Extranet EZUS Lyon Secure web portal providing researchers with direct real-time access to their project data, with an evolving service offering expanded functionality over time.
• Administrative and Financial Management Services Comprehensive administrative support including procurement, payments, reimbursements, recruitment, registrations, and travel management, along with accounting, tax, and social compliance services for researchers.
• RIPH Support Services Assistance for researchers preparing and valorizing RIPH (Recherches Impliquant la Personne Humaine) dossiers, facilitating authorization procedures with relevant authorities and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• CIFRE Collaboration Support Administrative and financial support for companies recruiting doctoral students under CIFRE conventions, including convention signing, coordination with host laboratories, and payment follow-up.
• Contract Management Services Support in negotiation and management of collaboration contracts between researchers and industrial partners, ensuring secure and flexible contractual frameworks.
• Fiscal Incentive Advisory Guidance enabling industrial collaborations to benefit from Research Tax Credit (CIR) and Competitiveness and Organization Tax Credit (CICO) fiscal advantages.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ contracts signed per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• Pulsalys (SATT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013SATT (Société d'Accélération du Transfert de Technologie) that valorizes research results and supports deeptech startup creation. Pulsalys complements EZUS Lyon's mission in the regional innovation ecosystem.
• Lyon Ingénierie Projet (LIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrepares and manages collaborative projects and those directly carried by UCBL. Founded in 2006 to support ANR and European funding. EZUS Lyon works closely with LIP for project execution.
• Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent institution. EZUS Lyon is a subsidiary of UCBL and serves as its legal and financial operator for contract research activities.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor French research organization working alongside EZUS Lyon in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• INSERMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national institute for health and medical research, partner in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• INRIAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national institute for computer science and automation research, partner in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• ENS Lyon (École Normale Supérieure)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious French higher education institution and research university, partner in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor hospital system in Lyon, collaborating with EZUS Lyon on medical research projects.
• Institut Carnot Ingénierie@LyonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarnot label institute for engineering research, part of the competitive cluster ecosystem supporting EZUS Lyon's research collaborations.
• INRAEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national research institute for agriculture, environment and food, partner in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• ENTPE (École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench engineering school specialized in civil engineering, partner in the Lyon research ecosystem.
• 3Deus DynamicsnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeeptech startup specializing in 3D printing. Collaborated with EZUS Lyon and 3dFAB laboratory under Professor Christophe Marquette to develop silicone and composite material technologies for medical and aeronautical applications.
• Laboratoire 3dFABnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory led by Professor Christophe Marquette, specializing in 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies. Key partner in the 3Deus Dynamics collaboration.
• Cristal Innov Platform (DGA)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform collaboration with Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) to support strategic French industrial production of very high-quality synthetic quartz for military and civilian applications.
• LMI (Laboratoire Mécanique des Interfaces) and TEFAL (Group SEB)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated joint laboratory ASCI between LMI and TEFAL (Group SEB) to transform research on culinary coatings into industrial innovations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• INSAVALOR: University valorization subsidiary of INSA Lyon, founded in 1988 as one of France's earliest higher-education valorization entities. Direct comparable: same business model (administrative and financial management of public-private research contracts) serving the Lyon academic ecosystem.
• Lyon Ingénierie Projet (LIP): UCBL-affiliated project management entity for ANR and European-funded research projects. Closely tied to EZUS Lyon through UCBL and overlapping in research project execution — adjacent competitor for the same institutional clients.
• ADERA: University valorization entity affiliated with the University of Bordeaux, managing research contracts and technology transfer in Aquitaine. Closely comparable business model and service portfolio to EZUS Lyon.
• SATT Conectus (formerly Provalis): SATT for the Alsace region, successor to Provalis — the third French university valorization pioneer mentioned alongside EZUS Lyon's founding. Directly comparable model: technology transfer and research contract management between public labs and industry.
• SATT Nord: SATT covering northern France (Lille, etc.), providing research valorization and contract management services. Direct peer in mission: industrializing public-private research collaborations via dedicated support structures.
• SATT Grand Est: SATT covering the Grand Est region, providing research valorization services between public laboratories and industrial partners. Same French national SATT framework with mission-overlap comparable to EZUS Lyon.
• SATT Sud-Est: SATT serving the southern France / Marseille area. Provides identical research valorization, contract management, and industrial collaboration services — direct peer in the French SATT network.
• SATT Paris-Saclay: One of France's largest SATTs, serving the Paris-Saclay academic cluster. Comparable as a French public-research valorization intermediary that manages research contracts and IP transfer between labs and industry partners.
• Pulsalys (SATT Lyon): Regional SATT (Société d'Accélération du Transfert de Technologie) covering the Lyon academic area, focused on research valorization and deeptech startup creation. Overlapping mission with EZUS Lyon in the same catchment — they are ecosystem complements and partial competitors.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Germany's leading applied research organization, operating contract research and industry collaboration at much larger scale. Comparable in function — bridging public research and industrial clients — though vastly broader and more internationalized than EZUS Lyon.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ezus-lyon

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 EZUS LYON