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Presentation

Created in 1980, CRAN is a "Joint Research Unit – UMR 7039" shared between the University of Lorraine (Scientific Division "Automation, Mathematics, Computer Science and their Interactions – AM2I") and the CNRS (Institute "CNRS Computer Science"). The laboratory has been classified as a restricted area since February 2014. It is spread across 8 geographical sites. The laboratory has nearly 250 members: as of January 1, 2024, there are 120 researchers or teacher-researchers (including 8 CNRS researchers – Section 7 of CoNRS), researchers from the Lorraine Cancer Institute (ICL), the Regional University Hospital Center (CHRU), or external organizations, and 5 emeritus researchers. The administrative service and research support service consist of 27 staff members. CRAN hosts around a hundred PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting researchers. In 2023, scientific output included nearly 300 articles or communications in national or international journals and conferences. CRAN's work is supported by around twenty pieces of equipment (prototypes, demonstrators, platforms—some of which are open and certified) and involves the development of software and decision-support tools.

Since its creation, CRAN has maintained industrial collaborations with major companies such as Airbus, ArcelorMittal, CNES, EDF, Dassault Aviation, POST Luxembourg, Renault, SAFRAN, SAFT SAS, Schneider, and SPIE, as well as with numerous institutions, organizations, and SMEs/SMIs rooted in the regional territory: Continental Sarreguemines, CRITT BOIS, Trane, Poirot Construction, Predict, and SD Innovation. Its industrial transfer strategy is particularly reflected in the recruitment of doctoral students under CIFRE contracts, with an average of ten theses per year. It has also contributed to the creation of three startups: CYBERNANO, Noviga, and Deep RIVER. CRAN has strong collaborations with around twenty countries worldwide. It develops more than twenty exchange programs and over thirty cooperation agreements with foreign universities or research centers.

The research conducted at CRAN focuses on the disciplines of automation, signal and image processing, computer engineering, production engineering, biology, and neurology, with links to oncology and neuroscience. The research includes fundamental, applied, transfer, valorization, translational, and clinical studies.

The laboratory is organized into three scientific departments

  • Department of Control, Identification, and Diagnosis (CID), automation, dynamic systems
  • Department of Modeling, Control, and Safety of Industrial Systems (MPSI), automation, production engineering, computer engineering
  • Department of Biology, Signals, and Systems in Oncology and Neuroscience (BioSiS), biology linked to oncology and neurology, signal and image processing

In automation, the scope is broad: modeling, analysis, control, command and observation of systems, diagnosis, maintenance, and operational safety. The systems considered are characterized by continuous, discrete, and hybrid dynamics. Research in continuous automation is primarily fundamental while placing particular importance on solving applied problems through industrial partnerships. Discrete automation allows for the study of industrial systems and production. For these systems, research also involves computer engineering, which addresses the design, development, and manufacturing of computer systems from both hardware and software perspectives. The theme of communication networks is naturally developed in this context but also extends beyond the industrial scope, exploring the broader field of the future Internet.

In signal processing, CRAN conducts fundamental research with a focus on multidimensional data analysis and artificial intelligence. Additionally, applied research is carried out in connection with healthcare activities: segmentation, image registration, 3D reconstruction, medical optics, and tissue spectroscopy.

Biology and neuroscience, partially associated with information sciences, contribute to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods and strategies. The primary healthcare sectors are oncology and neurology. Largely driven by medical applications, part of the research is translational and clinical (bidirectional transfer research) in collaboration with healthcare institutions (primarily ICL and CHRU).

More broadly and in a synthetic manner, the research conducted at CRAN is "at the heart of systems and health," which is the unit’s editorial signature.

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