FEMTO-ST (Franche-Comté Electronique Mécanique Thermique et Optique – Sciences et Technologies) is a joint research unit which is affiliated with the French National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS), the University of Franche-Comté (UFC), the National School of Mechanical Engineering and Microtechnology (ENSMM), and the Belfort-Montbéliard University of Technology (UTBM).
FEMTO-ST was founded in January 2004 from the merger of 5 different laboratories active in different fields of engineering science: mechanics, optics and telecommunications, electronics, time-frequency, energetics and fluidics.
Within the CNRS, FEMTO-ST belongs to the Institute for Engineering and Systems Sciences (INSIS). It gathers complementary skills, develops multidisciplinarity with an emphasis on scientific excellence and innovation.
In 2006, FEMTO-ST is one of the first public research institutes in France to be awarded with the "Carnot Label" by the French Research Minister for its ability to fulfill reliable and high standard researches with industrial partners.
In 2008, the institute integrates new competences in the fields of automatic control, microrobotics, materials and surfaces and reinforces its research activities in energy.
In 2012 the LIFC laboratory joined the institute and became a new (the 7-th) department (as DISC department) which completes the FEMTO-ST already rich set of competences by the introduction of computer sciences