Innovation, our core strategy

As an international high-technology company, Naval Group uses the outstanding know-how of its 17,000 employees, its unique industrial resources and capacity to set up innovative strategic partnerships in order to meet its customers’ requirements.

Innovation

At Naval Group, innovation serves two major challenges: guaranteeing the technological superiority of our customers, and improving our competitiveness, a condition for our leadership on all continents.

Innovation is also about ambition: offering excellence in naval defence and energy. Naval Group has introduced innovation into its technological strategic plan, in six major areas: Smart naval force, Invulnerable ship, Smart ship, Blue ship, Smart availability, Smart industry.

To accelerate its efforts in the field of innovation”, Naval Group is basing its efforts around three fundamental pillars: collaborative innovation, open innovation and breakthrough innovation. An agile approach - just like that of our various laboratories and technology incubators - which, combined with the recognised scientific expertise of the Naval Research teams, does not overlook any promising conceptual designs.

At Naval Group, innovation serves two major challenges: guaranteeing the technological superiority of our customers, and improving our competitiveness, a condition for our leadership on all continents.

Innovation is also about ambition: offering excellence in naval defence and energy. Naval Group has introduced innovation into its technological strategic plan, in six major areas: Smart naval force, Invulnerable ship, Smart ship, Blue ship, Smart availability, Smart industry.

To accelerate its efforts in the field of innovation”, Naval Group is basing its efforts around three fundamental pillars: collaborative innovation, open innovation and breakthrough innovation. An agile approach - just like that of our various laboratories and technology incubators - which, combined with the recognised scientific expertise of the Naval Research teams, does not overlook any promising conceptual designs.

Innovation

Naval Group annually invests a significant portion of its total sales in R&D and innovation to provide its customers with new high-tech products combining significant added value with controlled costs.

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Our strategic orientations for innovation

Six strategic orientations structure our innovation strategy, enabling us to anticipate technological revolutions and upcoming transformations in naval combat.

Discover our strategic orientations for innovation

Image Estelle Hotellier devant un écran de la cybersécurité et une maquette de la FDI

100

million annually dedicated to R&D and innovation

500

R&D projects underway

1,800

employees involved in R&D projects

85

areas of technical expertise

40

doctorates overseen annually

Over 40

first-rate innovation partnerships

20

Innovation labs within the group

50

publications and participations at annual congresses

400

families of patents

35

patents filed annually

11

joint laboratories and research chairs

9

cross-functional scientific fields

Gearing up for the future...starting today

Naval Group invests in upstream scientific research in close collaboration with first-rate French, European and international research institutes and academic partners thus gearing up for future technological breakthroughs.

With guidance from an external multidisciplinary Scientific Council composed of renowned international figures, this research is structured around nine cross-disciplinary scientific fields covering material, digital, energy, hydrodynamic, acoustic as well as oceanic and climatic sciences.

The Scientific Council also actively promotes the group's scientific work by awarding its La Pérouse prize, rewarding the scientific value, originality and audacity of our researchers' work when it comes to innovation.

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Members of the Scientific Council

  • Joël Bertrand

    President of the Scientific Council

    Emeritus Senior Research Director, CNRS (French Centre for Scientific Research)

    Joël Bertrand
  • Sophie Brétésché

    Vice-President of the Scientific Council

    Professor of Sociology

    IMT Atlantique (French technological university)

    Sophie Brétésché
  • Armel de la Bourdonnaye

    Director of INSA (National Institutes of Science and Technology) Hauts-de-France, Certified Doctor in scientific computing

  • Jean-Luc Fihey

    PhD, Ing., FCAE, Adjunct Professor and Manager - Valorisation Research and Innovation, ÉTS (Canadian school of higher education in engineering and technology)

    Jean-Luc Fihey
  • Hubert Girault

    Honorary Professor of physical chemistry at EPFL (Lausanne Federal Polytechnic School)

    Hubert Girault
  • Saadi L.

    Professor of Social Psychology

  • Thierry Massard

    Engineer in mechanics and PhD from Ecole Centrale Paris in physics

    Former Scientific Director of CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)

    Thierry Massard
  • Maria Nadia Postorino

    University Full Professor in Transport Engineering

    Maria Nadia Postorino
  • Cécile Godé

    Research Manager, CNRS (French Centre for Scientific Research)

    Emeritus Research Director, CNRS (French Centre for Scientific Research)

    Cécile Godé
  • Elisabeth Crepon

    General Director of ENSTA Paris (French Engineering school)

    Elisabeth Crepon
  • Olivier Rey

    Research follow at CNRS (French Centre for Scientific Research)

    Olivier Rey
  • Brigitte Plateau

    General Director of Grenoble INP (Graduate schools of Engineering and Management)

    Associate Professor of Mathematics

    Brigitte PLATEAU
  • Christelle Roy

    Director Europe and International Division, CNRS (French Centre for Scientific Research)

  • Françoise Gaill

    Vice-President of the Ocean & Climate Platform

    Scientific Advisor- Ocean at CNRS-INEE (French Centre for Scientific Research-Institute of Ecology and Environment)

An open and collaborative approach to innovation

At Naval Group, open innovation is at the core of our approach to innovation. Identify strategic partners, forge new alliances and come up with new ways of working together, to accelerate the integration of new technologies onboard our ships.

Discover our open innovation approach

Videos

All videos

L'innovation, un enjeu pour les navires, mais aussi pour les chantiers.

Innovate today to conquer tomorrow

Transcription

Naval Group reveals the SMX® 31 E, its 2020 concept ship

Unifying focuses

Smart naval force, Invulnerable ship, Smart ship, Blue ship, Smart availability, Smart industry.

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Open Innovation

Opening up, identifying talented partnerships, inventing new ways of working together, in France and around the world, to accelerate the implementation of new on-board technologies.

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