In 2025, LIST employed nearly 840 staff from 59 nationalities — 73 more than in 2024 — and ran close to 500 research projects. The Public Research Centre reported €115.7 million in revenue from public grants and other sources, up from €110.5 million in 2024.
"2025 confirmed the role technological research organizations play in informing public decisions, supporting economic competitiveness and guiding our societies through transition. This came against a backdrop of unprecedented geopolitical tension and global technological competition. LIST once again demonstrated its ability to adapt and direct its expertise toward serving the Luxembourg economy and both public and private stakeholders," said Etienne Jacqué, Chair of LIST's Board of Directors.
Ambition 2030: a strategic roadmap for 2026–2029
The highlight of the year was the completion of LIST's 2026–2029 Multi-Annual Plan, named "Ambition 2030." This strategy now structures the institute's work around three core areas of expertise — the natural, built and industrial environments — and three cross-cutting priorities: space, artificial intelligence, and security and defence. It is accompanied by a new value-creation strategy built on a quadruple-helix innovation model bringing together public authorities, industry, researchers and citizens.
As part of this, LIST established its first centralized Technology Transfer Office, tasked with coordinating all technology-transfer and intellectual-property activities. The institute now counts 12 spin-offs created since 2011, more than 200 intellectual-property assets and 91 active private partnerships, primarily in sustainable manufacturing, space, health and environmental systems.
"We want to deliver concrete, high-quality solutions that support the economy, start-ups, governments and society in building a more sustainable and resilient future. This ambition translates very concretely into a stronger value-creation strategy and partnerships that bridge fundamental research and real economic impact," said Olivier Guillon, CEO of LIST.
Stronger strategic partnerships
2025 was rich in tangible collaborations. On the private sector side, LIST launched strategic partnerships with FM on climate and cyber risk management, with ADIA Lab (Abu Dhabi) on the governance of multi-agent AI systems, and with BIL on evaluating AI-based banking chatbots. The second phase of the strategic partnership with Goodyear gathered remarkable momentum, with 22 joint research projects operational just one year after launch, recognised with the Industrial Impact Paper Award at the ISM2025 conference.
LIST is also a founding member of the Luxembourg AI Factory, launched in April 2025 alongside Luxinnovation, LuxProvide, the Luxembourg National Data Service and the University of Luxembourg. It leads the development of the national digital twin for energy systems (D2ET) and the SmartCityHub supporting smart cities and launched a monthly hydrological bulletin with the Water Management Agency.
Scientific excellence and international reach
The year confirmed the research centre's scientific strength: LIST published 186 articles ranked in the top 10% of their field — in journals such as Nature, Advanced Materials and ACS Nano — filed 13 patents and was granted 21 paid licences. Three innovations in composites were recognised by the European Commission's Innovation Radar, while some thirty international prizes and distinctions honoured its researchers, including the best-paper award at the European Conference on Artificial Intelligence 2025.
The space sector reached a historic milestone with the start of construction of the Space Campus in Belval, which will host the Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber — a facility unique in Europe operated by the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) — alongside the celebration of ESRIC's fifth anniversary. In artificial intelligence, LIST now leads a portfolio of 134 active projects worth roughly €125 million, driven by an expert workforce that has grown from 86 to 136 in two years. In security and defence, LIST submitted several major European projects, including FAMOUS III, under the European Defence Fund.
A responsible, certified employer
In December, LIST became the first Luxembourg research institute to obtain ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety. The institute also signed a new collective labour agreement valid until 2027, created a dedicated PhD Office to support its 109 doctoral candidates, and set up an "AccessAbility" working group to strengthen the inclusion of people with disabilities. These initiatives build on the "Positive Actions" label awarded by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Diversity.
The full 2025 Annual Report — together with the year's projects, partnerships and scientific results — is available at https://annual-report2025.list.lu/.