Pôle Spectrométrie Océan and SEDISOR: a beneficial association for research and companies

The Ocean Spectrometry Pole: a shared research platform between research players

The PSO is an agreement for the sharing and use of equipment created in 2007 between Ifremer, CNRS, the University of Western Brittany and IRD. This analytical center brings together state-of-the-art equipment accessible to engineers and researchers from PSO partner laboratories. This instrumental park thus allows the conduct of research subjects, whether internal or conducted with academic partners. It is a tool for structuring multi-partner projects that contributes to the recognition of the scientific excellence of the Brest community in the field of ocean sciences.

However, the financing of research equipment is increasingly conditioned by the establishment of an interface with companies. The underlying investment policy aims to ensure that these heavy research resources contribute to economic development in the regions and to innovation. This interface exists today for the PSO in part thanks to the implementation of an agreement with SEDISOR, even if there is no exclusivity between them.

Bleuenn Guégen, technical coordinator of the PSO (left) and Sidonie Révillon, director of Sedisor (right).

The PSO-SEDISOR agreement in practice

SEDISOR is an SME from Brest created by Sidonie Révillon that specializes in the analysis of elemental concentrations and isotopic compositions of all types of materials. The agreement allows EDISOR to access the PSO's instrumental park to provide services to external actors. SEDISOR is therefore entrusted with requests for analyses that do not present research challenges for the laboratories that gravitate around the PSO. For example, in January 2019, the Laboratoire d'analyse, de surveillance et d'expertise de la Marine (LASEM) was looking for a platform with the expertise and equipment to perform a service to measure the concentration and isotopic composition of lead. The consultation of the portal of marine research infrastructures and facilities led him towards the PSO, which then redirected him towards Sedisor.
SEDISOR also performs operations necessary for the implementation of the analyses such as sample preparation. The agreement for access to the PSO's instruments provides for the rental of the machines in proportion to the time they are used. SEDISOR therefore participates financially in the operation of the PSO.

Bleuenn Guéguen, technical coordinator for the Spectrometry Ocean cluster, emphasizes that entrusting Sedisor with analyses "allows the PSO to optimize the time it uses its equipment and to offer a broader range of services to economic players". In fact, in 2020 and depending on the machines, the time of use by SEDISOR could reach between 5 and 54% of the total number of days. A significant part therefore!

But beyond that, Sidonie Révillon is also an associate researcher at the Géociences Océan research laboratory (UMR CNRS/UBO) and has specific expertise on certain analyses. The first service contract with LASEM, for example, has led to new projects in the long term in research collaboration. Sidonie Révillon underlines the win-win aspect of this partnership, "the PSO and the partnership with the laboratory have enabled me, via SEDISOR, to create jobs, including my own, but also to continue my activities as an academic researcher".