Lyons is the most important scientific research metropolis in France after Paris. Its long-standing centres of excellence
deserve to be better known. In chemistry, e.g., early developments in catalysis originated here at the turn of
the XIXth/XXth centuries. « Paradoxycal sleep » was first identified here in the 1950’s. To-day, Lyons is a world leader
in cancer research and avanced cancer treatment, in the analysis and treatment of infectious diseases as in
space science, high energy physics and nano materials. Its phycisists, chemists and biologists pursue inter-disciplinary
research on DNA and in medical imaging; historians and archeologists likewise call on their natural science
colleagues to help them analyse and date artefacts from digs in the Middle East. In the social sciences its fields of
expertise include transport economics, the history and economics of industrial systems and human resource management.
Lyons boasts old and well-established links between avanced scientific research and industry : firms such as Mérieux
or Rhodia, in pharmacy, Total in petro-chemicals, EDF in electric power generation (nuclear and conventional),
Snecma in engineering… develop joint R. &D programmes and take out patents with academic research laboratories,
offer doctoral scholarships and engineering internships in all fields of science, with a major new emphasis today
on environmental protection and climate change. Its research teams maintain close collaborative partnerships
with leading researchers and laboratories abroad, in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Lyons was one of the first regions in France chosen to experiment the management of science in a decentralized
form.
This survey of science in Lyons was prepared by the CNRS regional administration. Over 50 scientists from all fields
of science in Lyons contributed. They will welcome calls for more information on their specific research topics from
colleagues abroad. Feel free to contact their websites.