SurferLab is established under a constitutive agreement

How does it work?

Together, the three partners define, prioritize and organize all the activities undertaken by SurferLab. This way of working and the corresponding organization are defined in a "constitutive and operating agreement" signed by the three partners and the CNRS as the parent organization of the joint research unit LAMIH UMR CNRS 8201.

Research themes

The activities carried out within SurferLab are linked to three axes of research that structure the scientific objectives of SurferLab:

• Theme 1: towards connected maintenance. This theme relates to the deployment at vehicle fleet level of the principles initially developed in the SURFER project and extended to the optimization of maintenance operations.

• Theme 2: learning and models. This theme, more academic research-oriented, is linked to upcoming innovations that the industrial partners will implement in two or three years. This theme was established according to the development opportunities identified by Bombardier Transport vis-à-vis its potential customers and its development strategies. The work carried out will fuel the activities of theme 1.

• Theme 3: product design / life cycle integration (PLM). As with theme 2, this theme is academic research-oriented but has nevertheless been identified as strategic by Bombardier. Developing the notion of life cycle constitutes another possibility for the widespread implementation of the developments initiated during the SURFER project.

A business model

The consideration of a business model from the very start of SurferLab, as well as its continual reassessment constitues a factor for succes. The SURFER experience has shown that the innovations devised require the technical feasibility and customer needs to be assessed very early on.

SurferLab projects and associated projects

SurferLab projects are governed by the Constitutive and Operating Agreement and are managed entirely by the SurferLab partners.

Associated projects are either:

• projects for which SurferLab is part of the managing consortium along with external partners,
• or projects managed outside SurferLab with scientific themes similar to those of SurferLab and involving members of SurferLab.

These associated projects naturally benefit from the activity undertaken within the joint laboratory and in return, the joint laboratory can benefit from the results. This principle of "association" accentuates the overall synergy around intelligent systems in transport.