Research partnerships

Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) has recognized expertise in developing research partnerships with companies and public institutions. 

These collaborations bring together researchers and decision-makers on a daily basis to explore new research questions, enhance the relevance and applicability of work in economics and quantitative social sciences, and develop new ways of disseminating scientific knowledge. 

Research partnerships aim to generate concrete and sustainable solutions to the major challenges facing the socio-economic world and society as a whole. 

Our Expertise 

Research partnerships draws on a community of leading scholars and primarily involves senior permanent faculty members. 

Our expertise spans economics, mathematics and statistics, as well as the social and behavioral sciences, with direct applications to the challenges faced by businesses and public institutions. 

It is built on two pillars: 

• the use of advanced quantitative methods, with a strong emphasis on theoretical modeling and empirical data analysis;
• a multidisciplinary approach. 

Now structured and promoted through TSE’s thematic centers, our expertise covers a wide range of fields, particularly digital, energy and climate, health, infrastructure and networks, sustainable finance, and human capital, with a strong focus on regulatory issues.

Why become a partner? 

Joining TSE means partnering with a leading academic institution and collaborating with senior researchers renowned for the quality of their work. 

Our partners, including companies, public institutions, international organizations, foundations, and non-profit organizations, benefit from a unique framework for collaboration that helps inform decision-making through science. 

By becoming a partner, you can: 

• Build a long-term relationship with research teams that are leaders in their fields
• Benefit from independent research on strategic and emerging issues
• Leverage synergies that foster innovation and shared inspiration
• Act as a catalyst for significant advances in science and society
• Enhance your visibility alongside a world-class institution 

Partnership format 

Research chairs & initiatives 

Collaborations with TSE-P lead to the creation of a research program, which may take the form of a research initiative or a research chair (as part of a gift agreement subject to certain conditions regarding commitment and duration). 

Gift agreement or specific research contrat 

Most of our partnerships are governed by philanthropic support agreements. In exceptional cases, when the terms of a partnership do not meet the conditions for a donation, we enter into a specific research contract (which may be eligible in France, subject to certain conditions, for the Research Tax Credit (CIR) or the Collaborative Research Tax Credit (CICo)). 

Duration 

All partnerships are designed with a long-term perspective. As a result, most of our partners commit to supporting research at TSE over several years. 

Partner contribution 

The financial support requested from our partners depends on the number of projects undertaken, their expected outcomes, the team involved and the duration of the partnership. In addition to financial support for research, our partners can share access to databases for research purposes.

We would like to thank all our partner companies, public institutions, and foundations for their support and for working alongside our researchers in the development of our chairs, initiatives, and other research projects.

Former Partners

Airbus, Amazon, Baillie Gifford, Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS/CNES), Danone Research, Huawei, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Luohan Academy, Meta, Microsoft, Royal Mail, Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE), Sunrise, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), and Urosphere (non-exhaustive list).

Collaborations with TSE-P lead to the creation of a research program, which may take the form of either a research initiative or a research chair (within the framework of a philanthropic partnership involving a commitment over a defined period). 

Supported by one or more partners, research initiatives and research chairs: 

• aim to produce high-level scientific research on topics of common interest to both researchers and partners;
• rely on a dedicated team, led by a researcher and interacting regularly with the partner(s);
• are affiliated with one or more thematic centers, depending on the topics addressed. 

Research chairs and initiatives 

Digital economy 

• Economics of data sharing, EONA-X
• Economics of postal and digital services, La Poste Groupe
• Regulation of digital services and platforms, Joint Research Centre - JRC of the European Commission
• Telecommunications in the Digital Age, Orange 

Energy & Climate 

• Effective Corporate Climate Action, Getlink
• Energy mix by 2050, ENGIE
• Evaluation of the impact of water policing actions, Cour des comptes
• Evolution of the electricity system and transport electrification, TotalEnergies
• Insurance and reinsurance for natural disaster risks, Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR)
• Levers of the energy transition, Electricité de France (EDF)
• Tariff structure and network optimization, Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF)

Sustainable Finance 

• Effective Corporate Climate Action (InECCA), Getlink
• Insurance and reinsurance for natural disaster risks, Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR)
• Macroprudential regulation and monetary innovations, Banque centrale du Luxembourg
• Monetary economics and financial stability, Bank of Mauritius
• Monetary economics and finance, Banque de France
• Regulation & development: states, markets, and information asymmetries, French Development Agency (AFD)
• Risk markets and value creation, Fondation d'entreprise SCOR pour la science
• Risk, regulation and systemic risk, Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR)
• Sustainable Finance and Responsible Investment, ABN AMRO IS, Amundi AM, Caisse des Dépôts, Candriam Institute for Sustainable Development, Edmond de Rothschild AM, Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites, LBPAM

Infrastructures & Network 

• Economic regulation of railway sector, French Transport Regulatory Authority (ART)
• Economics of postal and digital services, La Poste Groupe
• Railway network economics, SNCF Réseau
• Regulation & development: states, markets, and information asymmetries, French Development Agency (AFD)
• Sustainable Finance and Responsible Investment, ABN AMRO IS, Amundi AM, Caisse des Dépôts, Candriam Institute for Sustainable Development, Edmond de Rothschild AM, Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites, LBPAM
• Tariff structure and network optimization, Gaz Réseau Distribution France (GRDF)
• Telecommunications in the Digital Age, Orange

 Competition Policy & Regulation 

• Economic regulation of railway sector, French Transport Regulatory Authority (ART)
• New challenges in competition economics, Consortium of Nordic National Competition Authorities - Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway
• Regulation of digital services and platforms, with the Joint Research Centre - JRC of the European Commission 

Health 

• Cancer, innovation and hospital, IUCT - Oncopole
• Health and pharmaceuticals economics, GIE GERS
• Incentives and innovation in health treatment pathways, Clinique Pasteur 
• Joint "diagnostic and therapeutic" model to fight against antimicrobial resistance, bioMérieux
• Value of medicines, LEEM

Thematic centers at TSE promote, showcase, and disseminate the research conducted at TSE around a common theme through a range of scientific and communication activities aimed at both the academic community and policymakers. Together, these seven thematic centers address a broad spectrum of contemporary societal challenges.

Objectives of the thematic centers

The main objectives of these centers are to:

• Bring together and promote TSE’s scientific expertise
• Foster partnerships around targeted policy and research issues
• Structure and encourage researchers’ contributions to public debate 

Key interfaces for research partnerships

Through a strong culture of dialogue with practitioners, TSE researchers have developed recognized expertise across a wide range of applied fields.

The thematic centers serve as key interfaces for research partnerships. They showcase the outcomes of collaborative projects while enhancing their visibility among academic, institutional and economic stakeholders.

TSE-Partnership Foundation 

Research partnerships are conducted through the TSE-Partnership Foundation (TSE-P), which operates under the auspices of the Jean-Jacques Laffont - TSE Foundation, in collaboration with the Toulouse School of Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences (TSE) and the TSE Research Joint Unit (TSE-R). 

The TSE-Partnership Foundation was established in 2018, building on the legacy of the Institute of Industrial Economics (IDEI), founded by Jean-Jacques Laffont in 1989. 

Research teams 

TSE-P brings together a community of researchers and a dedicated support team focused on developing research partnerships with socio-economic stakeholders. 

Nearly one hundred researchers are involved in these collaborations, primarily from TSE’s Department of Economics, but also from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Each partnership is supported by a dedicated research team coordinated by a lead researcher. Likewise, each thematic center is headed by a researcher with recognized expertise in the relevant field. 

Management 

The management team of TSE-P is composed of: 

• Sébastien Pouget, Director of TSE-P
• Jean Tirole, Scientific Director of TSE-P
• Sylvie Lucas, Deputy Director of TSE-P
• Milo Bianchi, Scientific advisor for the management of TSE-P 

 Executive Committee 

The governance of the TSE-Partnership Foundation is overseen by an Executive Committee composed of members from the academic community as well as representatives from the socio-economic sector: 

Founding members and host foundation 

• Pierre Carli, Representative of the Jean-Jacques Laffont - TSE Foundation, Former Chairman of the Management Board of Caisse d’Epargne Midi-Pyrénées
• Pierre Monsan, Representative of the Toulouse School of Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences (TSE), Chair of the TSE-P Executive Committee, Emeritus Professor at INSA
• Hugues Kenfack, Representative of Toulouse Capitole University, President of Toulouse Capitole University 

Qualified members 

• Catherine Lambert, President of CERFACS
• Aurélie Picart, Executive Director of the Strategic Industry Committee for New Energy Systems Industries
• Christian Poncet, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Toulouse Municipal Electricity Utility 

Representative of the research community 

• Patrick Rey, Professor at the School of Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences (TSE) 

Non-voting advisory members

• Carole Drucker-Godard, Government Commissioner, Rector of the Occitanie Academic Region
• Sébastien Pouget, Director of TSE-P, Professor at Toulouse Capitole University 

Support Team 

TSE-P operates with the support of a team dedicated to the management and development of collaborative research projects. 

Administration, Governance and Finance 

• Sylvie Lucas, Deputy Director, TSE-P
• Elodie Bosc, Executive and Administrative Assistant, TSE-P 

Partnership Development and Communications 

• Eve Séjalon, Head of Research Partnerships and Centers
• Pascale Maréchal, Research Partnerships Project Manager
• Cécile Miglos, Research Partnerships Project Manager

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