The 2026 edition of VivaTech once again brought together the key players shaping the future of innovation. Present alongside its institutional partners, the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property) welcomed entrepreneurs and start-ups to its stand to raise awareness of a crucial issue: protecting and promoting innovation!

From June 17 to 20, the INPI participated in the latest edition of VivaTech, a key event dedicated to innovation. For four days, the Institute's stand – inaugurated by Pascal Faure, Director General of the INPI, and Antonio Campinos, President of the EPO – was a hive of activity, becoming the place where entrepreneurs and innovators could share ideas on intellectual property issues.

Through workshops and discussions with our experts, as well as those from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO), visitors discovered the support mechanisms that exist to secure their projects and transform their innovations into real drivers of growth.

With the increased presence of our international advisors this year, the tone was decidedly global, as evidenced by Jinane Kabbara, INPI regional advisor for Western Eurasia and the Middle East: "I just spoke with a company that asked me questions about the possibility of taking action for patent infringement in one of the countries in the region I cover. I was able to provide them with information specific to that country, and we scheduled a meeting to discuss the matter further with more in-depth support."

But other topics were also addressed, such as artificial intelligence, financing, and brand strategies.

As every year, ten start-ups were invited to present their innovative solutions; they were able to share their experience, expand their network, meet investors and exchange ideas with the many visitors.

The Pitch Contest organised with WIPO and HEC Paris was one of the highlights of the programme, highlighting several promising startups and the importance of integrating intellectual property at the heart of a growth strategy.

Couldn't make it to VivaTech 2026? Catch up on the highlights in the video and on our social media accounts (X and LinkedIn).

This sequence also provided an opportunity to sign two partnership agreements.

Guiding students and future entrepreneurs towards a better understanding of intellectual property issues with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie

The Francophone University Agency (AUF) brings together 1007 French-speaking higher education and research institutions in 119 countries across all continents.

Just like the INPI, the AUF is a key partner of the French-speaking intellectual property alliance. Since the signing of our first agreement in 2024, several joint actions have been carried out around intellectual property issues in North Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The signing of this agreement by Pascal Faure and Slim Khalbous, Rector of the AUF, marks a new stage in this partnership: the positioning of free online training resources from the INPI, or MOOCs (for "massive open online courses"), dedicated to intellectual property on a platform specific to the AUF.

INPI's ambition is to work with all of AUF's regional offices to lead students, future entrepreneurs, to a better understanding of the challenges of intellectual property and an increased ability to transform innovation into value.

An expanded agreement between the INPI and the Hauts-de-France region to support economic stakeholders

In the presence of Pascal Faure and Valérie Six, regional councillor in charge of innovation, the INPI and the Region Hauts-de-France have formalized a partnership that strengthens cooperation between the two organizations.

Supporting economic stakeholders is one of INPI's priorities. To this end, the Institute relies on its regional network, which covers the entire French territory, to promote industrial property culture.

The expertise of this network benefits nearly 8,000 companies per year in France, including 460 companies in the Hauts-de-France region for the year 2025.

This policy can only be carried out with the support of regional partners, including the Hauts-de-France Region, a key player in economic development, innovation and employment. For several years, the teams have already been collaborating informally, particularly within the Team France Export. The signing of this agreement broadens and structures the scope of action through a common roadmap.

Highlights

Being at VivaTech with the INPI also provides an opportunity to attend workshops enriched with testimonials and feedback from numerous start-ups, organized with our partners, key players in the ecosystem. Did you miss them? No problem, all the replays are available on our social media (X and LinkedIn).

Start-ups invited to our booth: AGUA DE SOL, which transforms air into drinking water using solar energy; AWOKEN, which is reinventing the diagnosis of sleep apnea; TACTILE, which transforms buildings into cacti to better manage rainwater; EPPUR, which improves the autonomy and safety of wheelchair users; IGNISCIA, which optimizes the traceability and performance of wood energy pellets; THERE IS, which saves water resources thanks to the cyclical shower; INTIREALITY, which detects production defects in real time using computer vision; OVERADE, which redefines micromobility as safer; SKYTED, which guarantees confidential communication anywhere with a silent headset; SONAID, which equips your devices with sound intelligence to save lives.

Competing start-ups that faced off in the INPI Pitch Contest: BEAMS, which is revolutionizing cancer surgery through nuclear medicine; FoxBio, which is redefining the treatment of inflammatory diseases; Henddu, which measures, analyzes and forecasts air quality in real time; Kaptory, which facilitates tissue regeneration; WheelMove, which improves the mobility of disabled people.

Saturday, the moment for the general public

Saturday, the final day of VivaTech, was dedicated to the general public. It allowed the INPI to meet visitors from all walks of life. As every year, students, recent graduates, and professionals seeking new opportunities were able to interact with the Institute's teams.

Visitors were able to learn more about the role of Data Scientist at INPI through workshops led by staff, discover industrial property for younger people, raise awareness of the harmful effects of counterfeiting, and listen to testimonials on the best way to create a start-up when you are 20 years old!

This day was also marked by the arrival of Firmin and Clarisse, winners of the "Innovate" 2025 competition, organized by Science & Vie Junior in partnership with the INPI. Present at the stand, they came to present the inventions that enabled them to win the competition.

"This is my first time at VivaTech. I'm getting a feel for the atmosphere and I think it's great! I'll definitely be back next year, but I'll try to stay for several days to see as much as possible. I really enjoyed everything related to robotics because, for once, it allowed me to see things in real life that I'd only heard about in the media or on social networks. And talking with the people who work in these companies is really interesting for me! It's a fantastic experience!" – Firmin, winner of the "Innovate" 2025 competition

"I love VivaTech and the atmosphere there. I haven't visited all the booths yet, but I hope to go soon, after I've finished presenting my invention. I see robots and inventions that look incredibly interesting. I'm impressed by the size of the show and I'd be very happy to come back in the future!" – Clarisse, winner of the "Innovate" 2025 competition

A huge thank you to all our partners, experts and collaborators who helped to highlight industrial property throughout the show!

Source: INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property), 29 June 2026 – https://www.inpi.fr/en/in-one/VivaTech-2026%3A-Linpi-at-the-innovation-meeting (The INPI English page is machine-translated from the French original; the French version prevails.)