This new axis has been set into place on January 1, 2011, after registration of interested researchers with the laboratory directors.

Theme 3, "Complex matter", has given rise to a detailed working through of its contents. Indeed, about 260 to 300 researchers were registered, with the main interests divided into six sub-groups: statistical physics, complex fluids, disordered systems, complex dynamics, out-of-equilibrium materials, and the physics-biology interface.

This last axis "physics-biology interface" is intended to become a cross-cutting theme in its own right. In fact, the think tank on theme 3 (H. Desvaux, D. Langevin, C. Chappert) has proposed to generate from it a secondary theme, i.e. not receiving any direct project filing, but likely to be consulted for evaluating projects that request it.

It will thus be geared at addressing both of the following themes:

• Techniques and instrumentation for studying properties and structures of biological molecules,

• Physical properties of biomolecules and their organization, and associated theoretical approaches.