Michelin and four academic partners have inaugurated I-TireLab, a joint research laboratory in Clermont-Ferrand, France, focused on tire technology, manufacturing processes and new uses for flexible composites. The partners are the University of Poitiers, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble INP – UGA and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
The project represents a total investment of approximately €4.5 million over four years. According to the partners, the initiative is intended to strengthen links between academic research and industrial applications by combining data analysis, mathematical modeling and experimentation.
Four research priorities
The laboratory will organize its work around four areas: monitoring tire conditions, improving vehicle control systems, optimizing rubber manufacturing and exploring new applications for flexible materials.
- Tire condition monitoring. Researchers aim to develop real-time estimates of tire wear and grip using data from existing onboard vehicle sensors. The goal is to assess tire condition without requiring additional specialized equipment.
- Vehicle control integration. The team plans to study how tire condition and grip information can be incorporated into vehicle control systems, with the objective of optimizing braking performance and improving stability and efficiency.
- Rubber manufacturing. Work in this area focuses on simulation and control tools that could help manufacturers plan equipment operations and optimize production settings while maintaining consistent rubber quality and reducing raw-material waste and energy consumption.
- Flexible-material flows. Researchers will examine how flexible materials can influence air and water flows around objects. They are developing control methods that can change the shape of components to modify surrounding flows.
I-TireLab will give researchers access to industrial facilities, demonstrators and testing environments so they can evaluate methods under near-real-world conditions. The partners said findings could eventually feed into future Michelin innovation projects.
Potential applications
One planned application involves Michelin Touch Intelligence, a tire digital twin introduced by the company in May 2026. The technology combines vehicle sensor data with Michelin models to estimate tire pressure, wear, load and grip in real time without additional sensors. It is designed to work across vehicle brands and models.
The laboratory’s research into flexible composites could also support Wisamo, Michelin’s inflatable and retractable automated wingsail for ships. The system uses wind to supplement vessel propulsion and reduce fuel consumption. According to Michelin, the first sail is in the delivery phase.
Philippe Jacquin, Michelin’s general manager and director of research and development, said the partnership would help translate scientific research into practical innovations involving tires, manufacturing and tire-vehicle interactions.
Michelin will contribute expertise in tire simulation, materials, industrial processes and product-use data. The academic partners will provide theoretical and methodological expertise to develop and validate new approaches. The collaboration will also support training for young researchers working across fundamental research, experimentation and industrial applications.
Guillaume Mercère, director of I-TireLab, and co-directors John Martinez-Molina and Thibault Dairay said the initiative would bring researchers, engineers and young scientists together to improve mobility safety, manufacturing processes and flexible-material applications. The partnership builds on existing collaboration between Michelin and the academic research teams and establishes a longer-term framework for converting data into knowledge and practical solutions.