European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT): Michel Mariton appointed Governing Board member

Talents Article published on 26 July 2024 , Updated on 26 July 2024

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) has just announced the five new members of its Governing Board. Michel Mariton, Vice President for Innovation at Université Paris-Saclay is among the new members who were unveiled on 25 July 2024.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) was established in 2008 by the European Union (EU) as part of the Horizon Europe framework programme, and falls under its third pillar, “Innovative Europe”. Alongside the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), the EIT is an independent European organisation which aims to speed up the transformation of research into innovation to encourage the emergence of innovative products and services, boost European business networks and strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity. The EIT brings together organisations working in the field of education, research and innovation to form dynamic cross-border partnerships and create environments fostering innovation.

Composed of experienced professionals in the fields of education, research and business, the EIT Governing Board oversees the strategic direction of the EIT as well as the selection and monitoring of its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs): ClimatE, Digital, InnoEnergy, RawMaterials, Health, Food, Manufacturing and Urban Mobility.

Michel Mariton is Vice President for Innovation at Université Paris-Saclay. A graduate of ENS Paris-Saclay, he began his scientific career at the Signals and Systems Laboratory (L2S - CNRS/CentraleSupélec/Univ. Paris-Saclay). After a temporary position at the University of California San Diego, he joined Matra Defence and Space (now Airbus) to manage the Image and Signal Processing Laboratory (LTIS), before becoming Vice President of the receiving stations business unit. He then turned to mid-sized high-tech companies, first as Chairman and then CEO of Horiba Jobin Yvon, a leader in spectroscopic instrumentation, then as CEO of Surys, a specialist in authentication and security, and Amplitude Technologies, the pioneer of ultrafast lasers. Michel Mariton was chairman of the French Association of Optics Companies (now Photonics France), co-founded Sample of Science and has supported numerous start-up projects.

As a new member of the EIT Governing Board, Michel Mariton will use his skills and experience in the worlds of business, education and research to best serve the interests of European innovation.