Alt-R&D is currently composed of 3 engineers-researchers and founding members grouped within the CoActions Cooperative to work together on research projects, training, technical support and consulting with companies, universities or other structures in technical innovation.

Trained in the major European schools and universities in wood science and thermics, the members of Alt-R&D are evolving by passion towards electronic prototyping, plant biology and by professional meetings towards beekeeping and anthropology.

These skills are used in the practice of interdisciplinarity in Alt-R&D projects.

Alt-R&D is part of the research group of the Coopérative d’Activité et d’Emploi CoActions, recognized by the Ministry of Research as an organization with the required potential to carry out research and development (request for approval in progress).

Alt-R&D is part of the third sector of research as a small for-profit organization involved in territorialized research and innovation activities that relies on cooperation with the public higher education and research cluster.

“The model proposed by CoActions attracted me by the fact of being supervised, having an administrative and accounting follow-up while being independent. Our activities are in line with the values of the cooperative to which we adhere: trust, environmental ethics, solidarity between Alt-R&D members and with other entrepreneurs who are members of the cooperative, participation in the life of the cooperative, spirit of co-construction, respect and consideration of the needs of the clients.”

“I have a background in wood science, material and then I joined a company after my thesis on wood gluing. I have a rather classical career in the wood industry, until I wanted a little more freedom, choice, diversity in the projects, without being isolated and I was also looking for a different governance than the classical entrepreneurship, more participative, fair. But not alone. Anna and I had been talking about it for some time, and we thought it would be nice to work together, to start up. The meeting with Co-Actions was the trigger.”

“I defended a doctoral thesis in wood science 10 years ago between France and Finland. I then followed an agricultural training and worked as a beekeeper for 2 years. I came back to research with a project: to better understand the thermal behavior of the hive by associating the knowledge and practices of beekeepers. I have been carrying this interdisciplinary research project that combines anthropology of techniques and material sciences since 2016. First in the university context, by doing post-doc after post-doc, until formalizing our collaboration with Manu by becoming independent researchers two years ago. It is the meeting with Anne that triggered this change of course: from public to private, from self-employed to cooperative.”