Training structure
Faculty of Science
Presentation
The IBION-Tec program offers students the opportunity to acquire skills at the interface between engineering sciences and life sciences. This Master's specialization is clearly positioned at the intersection of biology, physics (electronics), and chemistry. It broadens students' skill sets to include innovative and effective techniques in biotechnology and nanobiotechnology, facilitating their integration into research centers and industry. This specialization provides a foundation of skills dedicated to the field of biomolecular detection applied to diagnostics.
Its strength lies in covering a wide range of professions in research and development, in the fields of diagnostics and traceability, from the molecular scale to the industrial process scale.
This Master's program focuses on the design of innovative tools dedicated to diagnostics and traceability. This "design component" of the program takes place over the two years of study, offering students access to various technology platforms and practical work rooms. The goal is to collectively complete a project through to feasibility, or even to develop a prototype for one innovation per year in the field of detection techniques.
The quality of life of citizens is at the heart of the training program, which takes into account food security and healthcare security in the context of sustainable development.
IBION-Tec's objective is to acquire diagnostic and detection tools for traceability (medical, agronomic, food, etc.) in accordance with European regulations.
For more information about this course and its content, visit https://bioagro.edu.umontpellier.fr/ibion-tec/.
Objectives
This training covers four main areas of intervention:
- Checking the identity of organisms (prokaryotes/eukaryotes) and products used or consumed, including their quality.
- Detection of chemical and biological pollutants in the environment and food.
- The fight against fraud involving industrial food and non-food products
- Leading innovative projects within the public research and industrial development partnership
This offer is particularly original at the regional level and should also attract students at the national and international levels.
The Master's program trains students in the scientific approach through:
- acquisition through practical work (pesticides, active biomolecules, identification by molecular markers, etc.) taught over one to two weeks, with the involvement of researchers, biostatisticians, and documentalists.
- acquisition through innovative projects carried out over the two years of training (50 hours in the first year and 100 hours in the second year). The projects are developed and monitored by the students. From the initial idea to feasibility, the innovative project must lead to the design of a prototype. The projects are fully supervised by the University through its technology transfer department.
- Preparation for the internship: Learning how to write a report or thesis summarizing research work (outline, style, bibliography, figures, tables, captions, discussion of results, appendices, summary in English).
- Five- and six-month M1 and M2 internships in public or private research laboratories (working in a professional environment, applying good laboratory practice rules, conducting experiments, obtaining data to be processed, statistically analyzed, and interpreted, compiling a bibliographic summary, writing and presenting a thesis, defending one's work within a limited time frame before a jury of researchers and engineers, etc.). These two internships allow students to gain initial professional experience.
Know-how and skills
The program provides access to both business and research careers. Careers resulting from this program include:
- Design engineer in diagnostics and detection
- Traceability Management Engineer
- Head of the analysis laboratory
- R&D Project Manager
Types of jobs accessible beyond strict skills :
- Production Manager
- Wastewater treatment plant operations manager
- Research and Development Engineer
- Traceability Management Engineer
- Hygienist
Organization
Program
The IBION-Tec program is spread over four semesters, each comprising teaching units (UE) validated by ECTS credits. It follows on from the L3 Life Sciences program. It is a participatory, apprenticeship-based program for students.
The first year (M1) of the program is mainly devoted to introducing students to the innovative project that forms the basis of the course. The five-month internship completes the M1 program by providing students with their first experience in a laboratory. Through the courses taught during the two semesters, the M1 year is also a year for acquiring the fundamentals of nanotechnology.
The second year (M2) is devoted to organizing the annual BIOTRACE conference, which focuses on communication and exchange with the professional community. The M2 is the final stage of the innovative project: students have two weeks of experimentation to produce a proof of concept or feasibility study. The six-month internship provides professional experience in line with the student's career plans.
The list of teaching units that make up the program can be found on the Master's website https://bioagro.edu.umontpellier.fr/master-biologie-agrosciences/ibion-tec/
Select a program
M1 - Bio-molecular Engineering and Nanobiotechnology (IBION-Tec)
Biostatistics with R
5 creditsMultidisciplinary Interface
6 creditsPreparation for internships and professional integration
2 creditsInnovative Project 1
3 creditsOPTION 1
6 creditsChoose one of two options:
EU CHOICE 2
6 creditsChoose 2 out of 5
Food and environmental microbiology and toxicology
6 credits
Bioengineering of proteins dedicated to traceability 1
3 creditsImmunotechnology (PHARMACY EU)
5 credits
Plurisciences Interface 2
4 creditsProject management
3 creditsInnovative Project 2
3 creditsM1 internship
12 creditsPollution in agro-environmental systems
3 creditsNew generations of analysis
5 credits
M2 - Bio-molecular Engineering and Nanobiotechnology (IBION-Tec)
Biosensors and microdevices
2 creditsBioinformatics
3 creditsNanotechnologies for health (EU PHARMACY)
2 creditsSensors and instrumentation
3 creditsInnovative Project 3
11 creditsOPTION 1
3 creditsChoose 1 out of 3
Bioethics and regulation (EU PHARMACY)
3 creditsHealth diagnostics and traceability
3 creditsVirology
3 credits
Formulation of Biopharmaceuticals and Biomaterials (EU PHARMACY)
Project management and conferences
3 credits
Admission
Registration procedures
Applications can be submitted on the following platforms:
French & European students:
- For the M1, follow the "My Master's Degree" procedure on the website: https://www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
- For M2 students, applicants must submit their application via the e-candidat application: https://candidature.umontpellier.fr/candidature
Target audience
The IBION-Tec Master's program is open to bachelor's degree holders with a minimum of knowledge in biology, chemistry, and physics, such as:
- Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, specializing in Biochemistry or Cellular and Molecular Biology, or specializing in Biotechnology and Traceability, Biotechnologies;
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry.
Mandatory prerequisites
Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Immunology, Microbiology, Organic Chemistry
Recommended prerequisites
Quality management, electronics
And after
Continuing education
According to data from previous years of the former Master's program in Biotechnology, 30 to 60% of students go on to pursue a PhD. Of these, approximately 30 to 40% receive CIFRE scholarships.
We encourage students, particularly those who wish to pursue entrepreneurship, to continue their studies with a year of specialization in management and business administration (IAE training).
Further study is also possible by enrolling in a Master's 2 program in Bioinformatics or Quality Management.
Continuing studies abroad
Internships can be done abroad (the former Dtec-Bio Master's program offered between 1 and 5 M1 and/or M2 internships abroad each year (USA, Canada, Italy, Spain, Sweden, England).
Gateways and reorientation
Our M1 students can change direction and pursue a Master's degree in Biology and Health, IBIS, or BIOTIN.
Professional integration
From the first year of the master's program, our department is committed to giving our students the best possible tools for their job search, including: knowledge of the company, career plans, traceability applications, European legislation, quality assurance, project management, and the organization of a workshop in the second year. All of these points are integrated into specific course units that give students the essential skills and foundations they need to enter the workforce.