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Three IEMN alumni featured in the rankings

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From research to entrepreneurship : two IEMN PhD graduates who have founded spin-offs in the HDF100.

They represent a generation of researchers who dare to bridge the gap between science and entrepreneurship. In 2025, Maxime Hallot and Nicolas Vellas, both graduates of the IEMN, were named among the HDF100, the 100 leading figures driving technology and innovation in the Hauts-de-France region.

Nicolas Vellas’s career has been a pioneering journey. Having earned his PhD from the University of Lille, he co-founded MC2 Technologies in 2004, a company now recognised for its innovations in the fields of security and defence, ranging from the detection of hidden objects to counter-drone technology. Very early on, he chose to translate his academic research into practical applications.

Maxime Hallot, CEO of Voltify

Maxime Hallot, also a PhD graduate from the University of Lille, embodies a new generation of scientific entrepreneurs. Passionate about miniaturisation, he founded the start-up Voltify with the ambition of advancing medicine through ultra-compact energy storage solutions. Voltify’s technologies open up unprecedented possibilities for medical implants designed to treat chronic diseases.

From work within technology platforms to industrial products, these two career paths demonstrate how research can lead to useful innovations and significant socio-economic benefits. In their own way, they are helping to foster a dynamic deep-tech ecosystem in the region.

This recognition does not merely reward individual achievements: it highlights inspiring career trajectories, where scientific curiosity and initiative go hand in hand.

We should also note the inclusion in this ranking of Damien Ducatteau, Regional Delegate of the INPI Hauts-de-France, who was a member of the IEMN from 2001 to 2018, and has dedicated the rest of his career to commercialisation and innovation.

Congratulations to them and to all the HDF100 2025 winners, who contribute every day to the technological influence of the Hauts-de-France region.