- Greenhouse gas balance

Since 2022, the laboratory has been committed to carrying out annual greenhouse gas assessments, using the "Labos 1.5" methodology. The 1er he 2022 assessment for the central laboratory (LCI) showed that 60 % of the institute's 6,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions resulted from purchasing, which is comparable to that of institutes of a similar size and with similar activities. Certain emissions items are currently being refined, in particular the "missions" item, which will be included in the 2023 report.

- Measures to reduce carbon footprint

A group has been set up to discuss the environmental footprint. This group of a dozen people is open to discussing all your questions and suggestions, so don't hesitate to contact them at the dedicated address: ges@iemn.fr

A number of areas for improvement are being studied, such as extending our recycling actions. Below you can see the impact in 2023, as summarised by our service provider ELISE:

A series of laboratory seminars has been launched to raise awareness of different aspects of environmental issues among laboratory members and external speakers.

Next event:

Meet us on Tuesday 15 October at 10.30am at IEMN-LCI to find out more about the decent results of the working group on reducing the carbon footprint of laboratories

- Equality Correspondents

Flavie Braud has been appointed Gender Equality Correspondent (Coregal) at the IEMN for the CNRS. She is part of the CNRS Coregal network, whose main mission is to promote professional equality between women and men within research units. Carlos Moncasi has also been appointed Coregal for the University of Lille. All IEMN staff were invited to take part in the debate on gender equality organised by CNRS-Physique on 23 June 2023 as part of the preparation of the forward-looking document on physics in 2030.

- Portraits of the men and women of the IEMN

A series of portraits of the men and women in the unit has been designed, with a dual focus on the laboratory's 30th anniversary and gender equality at the IEMN. These portraits have been posted on social networks.

- Women in Engineering

On 26 October 2023, the "Women in Engineering" branch of the IEEE Lille Student Branch welcomed Françoise Chombar for a presentation on the theme of "Innovation and Inclusion: a Yin-Yang?", dealing with the challenges of gender diversity in technology companies and scientific disciplines (STEM). Ms Chombar is one of the co-founders of the Belgian semiconductor company Melexis, and was CEO from 2003 to 2021. She is also president of the STEM platform, which advises the Flemish regional government on these issues. The presentation was followed by a live interview with Maya Alawar, a doctoral student at the IEMN.

-Social time

Aware that the best initiatives come from employees according to the "Bottom - Up" principle and to illustrate its policy of well-being at work, the IEMN encourages employees to propose activities at lunchtime. All tastes and profiles are represented.

These different activities have many advantages:

1. they contribute to the cohesion of the institution's staff
2. they create a unique sense of belonging.
3. they help reduce psycho-social risks
4. they keep teams motivated

The immediate proximity of the University of Lille also means you can sign up for a wide range of activities (archery, bodybuilding, badminton, crossfit, tennis, yoga....).

-Response to calls for Quality of Life at Work projects

As part of the Quality of Life at Work Call for Projects, two CARPE D-IEMN projects have been carried out, led by a working group from the laboratory. The first, in 2021, aimed to create a co-working space, a space for exchanges and to fit out the patio on the central site. Phase 2 introduced two new projects: encouraging hybrid working by equipping three meeting rooms with lightweight videoconferencing solutions to facilitate hybrid meetings, and creating a brainstorming area with an interactive screen in an informal 20 m² space for convivial seminars, creativity sessions and discussion groups. These initiatives respond to the needs generated by the development of teleworking, requiring new communication equipment to maintain professional and informal interactions. Another major project, funded outside the QWL calls, was the refurbishment of the central laboratory lecture theatre, including the renovation of the wall paintings, the replacement of the floor carpeting and the renovation of the seating. In addition, a videoconferencing and conference recording system was installed.

The IEMN's CMNF and PCMP platforms have been accredited by the University of Lille, already demonstrating a certain degree of maturity in their mode of governance and their range of services. With a view to going even further, our platforms have adopted a continuous improvement approach. As part of this, the IEMN has undertaken to train internal auditors from the University of Lille in the scope of the platforms in order to increase our sharing of best practice in research!

Scientific integrity is a fundamental value that guarantees the quality, credibility and transparency of research work and, more broadly, society's confidence in science. The principles of integrity and ethics in the conduct of research are described in the " National code of ethics for research professions ».

To find out more, here is a selection of MOOCs on the subject: