Mise is a feminine noun derived from mettre, here from the mettre en marche idiom that means “start”, “put something on”, or “launch”.

mise en marche is an idiomatic expression which meaning depends on the context. For a vehicle, it would be starting the engine, but for a factory (or a new laboratory as here), it’s often about the first few days (or weeks) of running, until everybody is accustomed to his job — in case of a short manual for the staff. On the other hand, the quelques pages (another idiomatic expression to play the modest, might have been long hours scratching his head to find the words) written looks like a speech prepared for the inauguration ceremony of the building, to thanks people who paid (l’appui matériel) for it: Ministry of Defense, the CNRS, and la Société des Amis de l’Ecole Polytechnique.