Research contracts were up 6.9% over 2005, with a turnover of €37.3 million, making ARMINES the leading contract research institution in the Higher Education Establishments system. Growth in contracts breaks down evenly between the private, public and EU sectors. The fields of materials, energy-processes-environment, robotics, image analysis and risk management all experienced growth, while there was a downturn in the geosciences, which was due in part to the termination of the programme of State support for hydrocarbons.
48% of turnover came from direct contracts with private enterprise. The year also saw a 25% fall in new EU contracts, due to the end of the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (PCRDT), which was largely offset by a rise in the registration of contracts financed by the National Research Agency.