Research Institutes and Chairs at GEM

GEM’s research chairs and future research institutes aim to produce rigorous, interdisciplinary scientific research that examines and sheds light on major transitions in energy, work and organizations, as well as in local and regional areas, in support of sustainable performance and well-being. Working closely with businesses, institutions and stakeholders in the field, GEM generates knowledge that decision-makers can put into practice. By bringing together scientific approaches, professional expertise and operational practices, GEM’s research chairs and future institutes create impact and contribute to the emergence of resilient models capable of addressing economic, geopolitical, environmental and societal challenges.

Research Chairs, Institutes and the EAGLE 2030 Strategy

Research conducted within GEM’s chairs and institutes is fully aligned with the EAGLE 2030 strategy, which positions GEM as a catalyst for transitions. By helping anticipate energy, technological and territorial transformations, this research supports the school’s ambition: to understand in order to act in a world shaped by profound transitions and changing economic models.

True to its identity as a business school focused on science and innovation, GEM is strengthening its academic ambitions by developing research chairs and institutes that combine scientific rigor, interdisciplinarity and strong connections with the field. This dynamic lies at the heart of EAGLE 2030, where research contributes to both the “Science” pillar, by accelerating the integration of new knowledge into professional practice, and the “Transitions” pillar, by supporting energy, technological and organizational transformations.

Objectives

GEM’s research chairs and institutes aim to deliver impactful, collaborative and applied research aligned with the challenges of major transitions and the scientific ambitions of EAGLE 2030.

Strategic Objectives:

• Develop knowledge with a strong societal impact
  Conduct rigorous scientific research to shed light on energy, digital, managerial and territorial transitions, while identifying early signals of change that are reshaping organizations and practices.
• Support businesses and territories in their transformations
  Work collaboratively to develop joint assessments and provide practical frameworks that enable organizations to turn their sustainable transition projects into reality.
• Experiment with innovative solutions
  Bring together in-house expertise, research laboratories and partners to explore, develop and test new approaches in real-world settings, and measure their actual impact.
• Share research findings with decision-makers
  Make applied and interdisciplinary research accessible to business leaders, elected officials, institutions and public-sector stakeholders, helping inform national and international debates on major transitions.
• Enrich a cutting-edge learning experience grounded in real-world practice.

Research Projects

HarmonIA Lab, is a research laboratory dedicated to studying the interactions between humans, artificial intelligence and organizations. It examines how AI, particularly generative AI, is transforming team dynamics, innovation processes, decision-making and forms of collective responsibility. The laboratory combines empirical research and theoretical work to understand how to design genuinely augmented and sustainable work environments.

The research themes addressed by GEM’s chairs and institutes span energy transitions, the transformation of work, place-based transitions, and the future of mountain regions. Each institute under development will structure its own scientific priorities, building on the existing work of GEM’s research chairs and academic teams.

Energy transition

• Renewable energy systems
• Decarbonisation and energy efficiency
• Societal impacts of energy choices
• Innovation and governance in energy transitions

Research on energy transition focuses on analysing the social, economic and political conditions underpinning transformations in energy systems, with a particular emphasis on social acceptance. Building on the work of the Energy for Society Chair, the EnerG Institute, scheduled for launch in 2026, will broaden this scope by integrating issues related to energy sovereignty, democratic governance, market fragmentation and technological uncertainty.

Rooted in dialogue between research, companies and local and regional stakeholders, the EnerG Institute aims to become a European reference platform on the interactions between energy, society and transition.

Place-based transitions & mountain regions

• Climate change adaptation in mountain regions
• New economic and tourism models
• Water resources and sustainable management
• Social and place-based dynamics

This research theme explores the transformations of so-called sentinel places facing major climatic, economic and social challenges, with a particular focus on mountain regions and rapidly changing territories. Currently in its third cycle, the Local Sustainability Transition and Well-being Chair analyses the capacity of territorial actors to adapt, innovate and cooperate in a context of systemic ecological and socio-economic crisis, with the aim of advancing sustainability.

By 2027, it will evolve into the Moving Mountains Institute, dedicated to studying transition pathways in sentinel places by combining scientific research, field experimentation and the co-construction of solutions with local stakeholders.

Future of work

• New forms of work
• Digitalisation and organisational transformation
• New management models
• Workplace design and quality of working life

Research on the futures of work examines the profound reconfiguration of organisations, professions and employment relationships. A Future of Work Institute is currently being developed to structure research around transformations in work, digitalisation, future skills and evolving employee expectations. Its objective is to inform organisational decision-making in the face of changing work dynamics and to contribute to the education of tomorrow’s managers.

GEM’s research chairs and institutes are led by their scientific directors, in close coordination with the Associate Dean for Research. Their operations rely on a strong partnership-based approach involving companies, public institutions, academic experts and media partners. Each structure oversees its research programmes, leads study cycles, contributes to scientific and public debates, and supports field-based experimentation.

Academic governance is overseen by, Olivier TRENDEL, Associate Dean for Research, Full Professor and member of the Consumer Behavior research team. His current research focuses on consumer persuasion and combating misinformation, services marketing, and food-related beliefs and behaviors. Several of his studies examine automatic information-processing mechanisms, particularly implicit cognition.