Inria: a new brand platform and website to drive the institute's strategy and boost talent attractiveness

Simplicity, unity, attractiveness, positioning

Inria is the French National Research Institute for Computer Science. World-class research and technological innovation are part of its DNA, with the aim of developing and supporting scientific and entrepreneurial projects that create value for France within a European perspective.

In a world gone digital, France must build the foundations of its digital sovereignty. As an active, bold stakeholder in a dynamic ecosystem of industry, academia and entrepreneurship, Inria wants to meet this challenge. Its aim is to accelerate the development of France's scientific, technological and industrial leadership in the digital sector within the European landscape, support the development of major world-class research university campuses, generate impact and be bold, whether that be in its scientific choices, its innovation policy, its organisational changes, or its implementation of a complete HR policy.

Take risks, think outside the box, experiment, be creative and be bold to facilitate major public policies – Inria's new brand platform aims to illustrate and reflect these ambitions while

• uniting and rallying everyone around shared values and reinforcing company pride
• attracting and recruiting talent by offering a different value proposition
• positioning Inria to bring academic, industrial and entrepreneurial partners on board

This initiative was conducted in several steps, by first analysing needs from a user perspective and then defining the:

• Communication priorities and Inria's positioning
• Core content, story outline and citations
• Reference documents: editorial style guide, graphic charter, social media guidelines
• Range of Inria's new internal and external communication tools

The branding agency Nomen aided us in defining our brand's graphic identity.

Better internal communication

• A new collaborative intranet network enabling all 4,500 Inria personnel to contribute in a clear manner
• A new internal newsletter drafted simultaneously with all 10 Inria centres
• An online charter space, with a simple, clear layout providing all Inria personnel with fast, intuitive access to all platform tools
• New communication tools for use by all Inria personnel for engaging with ambassadors, like brochures, videos, and so on

Raise external awareness about all aspects of Inria

• A new Inria brochure and presentational video convey the different facets of Inria in words and images and present its unique model to further the development of major research university campuses and strengthen partnerships with industrial and entrepreneurial stakeholders.
• A new website to reflect Inria's positioning and inspire all audiences, be they scientists, candidates, teachers, students, local authorities, universities, or people curious about science, technology and the fields in which digital is being applied
• An employer brand programme to strengthen Inria's attractiveness and boost company pride, continuously recruit new talent and grow the number of partnerships.

Several months of work within Inria have brought communication to the fore to support Inria's ambitious strategy, mobilize all our stakeholders and get them on board. Aurélie Willi, director of communications at Inria.

The reworking of all our communication material, including a new website www.inria.fr, is in keeping with our strategic plan for 2019–2023. Inria is right at the heart of an academic, industrial and entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are a 'platform institution' and our communication must reflect that. Bruno Sportisse, CEO of Inria.

A website in French and English that conveys the values and messages of the institute

• a website that expresses company pride and is geared towards attracting "young talent" 
• a website that showcases the changing face of Inria to its academic and industrial partners, our firm adherence to collective approaches, and our commitment to public policy.
• a website that illustrates the value of the activity of the men and women of Inria who work each and every day at the heart of digital science and technology.