SystemX
SystemX is a Scientific Cooperation Foundation that counts 10 founding members among which 6 are companies (Alstom, Renault, Bull, Kalray, Sherpa, OVH), 3 are academic partners (Inria, Institut Mines-Télécom, the FCS Campus Paris-Saclay) and one is a competitiveness cluster (Systematic Paris-Region).
SystemX set up its Technological and Scientific Council, composed of 12 members, which will provide, amongst other tasks, guidance to the Institute regarding its scientific orientation and international openness strategy.
Presentation
SystemX is an Institute for Technological Research (IRT) that was established on February 1, 2012, in the framework of the “Investment for the future” program that was set up in order to support French Innovation.
A total of 8 IRTs have been created by the government. Those institutes represent a new dynamic of innovation for the country and aim at strengthening territorial attractiveness.
Only IRT in the Île-de-France Region dedicated to the digital engineering of complex systems, SystemX addresses current technological stakes thanks to collective innovation.
SystemX’s functioning lies on two fundamental aspects:
- Co-location of the actors: the Institute gathers in one location all the partners involved in its projects. The idea is to foster synergies between academic and industrial communities;
- Skills and platforms pooling: by reaching a critical mass, SystemX will create a platform made of the pooling of numerous skills and technological bricks.
Executive Management
- Chief Executive Officer: Paul Labrogère
- Research and Technology Director: Bruno Foyer
- Scientific Director: Patrice Aknin
R&D projects and training
SystemX chose to orient its activities towards four priority sectors:
- Energy
- Transport and mobility
- Telecommunications
- Security and defense
More precisely, the Institute has rolled out its research in seven thematics, themselves split in two programs:
- Systems of systems: energy management, multimodal transport, security and multimedia
- Technologies and tools for digital engineering: embedded systems, high-performance computing, cloud computing and networks, simulation and conception tools.
With regards to training, SystemX is interested in academic-industrial relationships concerning the “systems, modelization, complexity” challenges - at the bachelor, master and PhD levels.
Saclay ecosystem
Thanks to its localization on the Saclay plateau, which will host the future [Paris-Saclay University], SystemX benefits from Systematic Paris-Region competitiveness cluster and the Paris-Saclay Campus' dynamics – ranked among the world's top 8 world innovating clusters by the MIT Technology Review.[1]
Company record sheet
President: Michel Morvan
Chief executive officer: Paul Labrogère
Key dates
- February 21, 2013: SystemX’s official inauguration
- October 31, 2012: Convention signing with ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche), the French National Research Agency.
- February 1, 2012: Labelling announcement as part of the “Great Loan” (Grand Emprunt) in the framework of the “Investment for the future” program).
Key figures
- From 100 to 250 researchers, of which 50 researchers hired by SystemX
- € 30M annual budget
Legal status: Fondation de cooperation scientifique -Scientific Research Foundation
Head office: Nano-Innov (Palaiseau) Other offices: Inria (Place d’Italie – Paris; Lincs)
Thematics: digital engineering of complex systems
Denials following accusations of tax fraud
Le canard enchaîné published in its edition of 2 January 2019[2] · [3] an article entitled "Des recherches privées au frais de l'État" (Private research at the expense of the State) on possible means used by French companies "to carry out ambitious scientific research... thanks to public funds" and which would rely for this purpose on the Technological Research Institutes. SystemX is used as an example to illustrate the point. The following are mentioned in particular: the use of the research tax credit (crédit d'impôt recherche) by IRT SystemX partner companies,[4] the mechanism for making staff available, the number of staff departures or the modification of the names of research contracts.
Revelations about the "super" CIR in the Cash Investigation show "Who benefits from our taxes?"
In its November 19, 2019 issue, the investigative magazine Cash Investigation highlights the excesses of the research tax credit scheme (crédit d'impôt recherche) aimed at supporting private research, in particular through an investigation into the "super" research tax credit (crédit d'impôt recherche) of SystemX.[5]
The economic magazine Challenges in an article of 20 November 2019 reviews the Cash Investigation issue and SystemX's "edifying" example through its "super" research tax credit (crédit d'impôt recherche):[6] "The case of abuse of research tax credits crédit d'impôt recherche (CIR), which allows companies to deduct R&D expenses, at a cost of 6.5 billion, is even more convincingly exposed.
The show has a real scoop for example: the scandal of the SystemX Institute of Technological Research in Saclay, which was reported on suspicions of tax evasion, scientific fraud and embezzlement of public funds to the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (Parquet national financier)."
According to the article, it seems that SystemX is "in reality only a XXL tax optimization window". Finally, the article quotes the testimony of a researcher who "tells how he produces fake reports [...] « I spend my time doing bullshit to justify public spending » ".
References
- "World Innovation Clusters". 2013.
- https://snesuporsay.wordpress.com/2019/01/03/systemx-de-saclay-double-jackpot/
- https://resistanceinventerre.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/des-recherches-privees-aux-frais-de-letat/
- https://www.irt-systemx.fr/comprendre-systemx/partenaires/
- https://www.france.tv/france-2/cash-investigation/1103635-qui-profite-de-nos-impots.html
- https://www.challenges.fr/economie/fiscalite/cash-investigation-sur-les-impots-des-revelations-et-des-approximations_685845
External links
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