The ParisTech PRES is strengthening its development strategy to create a fully fledged university of science, technology and management
The directors of the ParisTech schools met at a seminar on Friday 16 October to reflect on their collective strategy and reaffirmed their desire to establish, on the basis of the founding values set out in their common 2006 project, a "university of science, technology and management" organised over three campuses in the Paris region, a university boasting genuine autonomy, strengthened governance and the diploma awarding capacities of a fully fledged university.As Cyrille van Effenterre, the President of ParisTech, said: "ParisTech is hoping for increased coordination between the various authorities which oversee the ParisTech schools and would genuinely like to contractualise the relations it has with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. ParisTech, in return for achieving a series of targets, is seeking increased recognition, reinforced resources and greater legitimacy for issuing national diplomas."
On Saturday 17 October, François Fillon chaired the presentation to the flag of the class X 2008. He was welcomed by Marion Guillou, the President of the Board of Directors, and General Xavier Michel, the director of the Ecole Polytechnique
After attending the ceremony at the Ecole Polytechnique, in the presence of Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (X 1992) and Christian Blanc, the Prime Minister spoke to students and their families. In particular, he noted that "in a world of increased competition, the strength of France depends on its scientific and technical potential." Reaffirming the commitment of the President of the Republic to "make France one of the chief nations in Europe in terms of research and innovation," the Prime Minister spoke at length about the government's ambition to turn the Saclay site into "a centre with an international reputation" in the field of research and technology, in particular by bringing together "all of the players in the innovation chain" in order to "generate discoveries, technology transfers and the creation of wealth and jobs."
The Schools of ParisTech come together for equal opportunities
On Friday 23 October, 330 people (teachers and headmasters from secondary schools, higher education professors and students) gathered at a symposium on the theme of "Supporting high school students in the move up to further education", co-organised by the Regional Council of Ile-de-France and ParisTech, in partnership with the associations Paris-Montagne and Talens.The objective of this symposium was to look at French and European experiences on how to increase equality of opportunity in higher education.
From 30/09 to 10/10, Cyril van Effenterre and a ParisTech schools delegation participated in various events to mark the Franco-Brazilian Higher Education week
In São Paulo, at the Symposium on Training for Future Trades, they participated actively in the round tables on two themes which are essential for ParisTech: • sustainable development and the new professions which arise from it, a roundtable for which the President of ParisTech delivered the opening address,• Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Electro Industries, a roundtable to which Alain Fuchs, the Director of Chemistry ParisTech, contributed. In Piracicaba, at an event held by the University of São Paulo's School of Agriculture on the theme of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences cooperation, the President of ParisTech attended the opening session and welcomed the progress made in student exchanges with AgroParisTech and the major links on various topics of ongoing research.Moreover, the 5 partner universities in São Paulo and Rio were visited in order to look at possible future developments after four years of successful co-operation. In addition to continuing our work with our partners and the signing of a double engineering degree convention with the University of Campinas, as well as a similar project underway with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, it is important to note that our partners are keen to establish longer term relationships in the fields of research, masters and doctorates
Michelin and the ESPCI ParisTech announce the opening of the website for the "Materials Science" Chai
The "Materials Science" Chair was created as part of a scientific partnership established in 2008 between the Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris and Michelin. Its purpose is to promote and develop research activities around common themes in the field and to support research-based training provided at ESPCI ParisTech.
ParisTech and Renault create the "Institute for Sustainable Mobility"
Renault, the Renault Foundation and ParisTech have decided to found an "Institute for Sustainable Mobility". The objective of this institute is to implement research and education programmes on the future of transportation and electric mobility, starting from the academic year 2009.
Inauguration of ParisTech Entrepreneurs
On 16 September, 2009, Jean-Louis Missika, the Deputy Mayor of Paris responsible for Innovation, Research and Universities, launched ParisTech Entrepreneurs, the new ParisTech business incubator located on rue Dareau, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. Built on the basis of the success of the ParisTech Telecom incubator, the School of the Telecom Institute, and supported by the Mayor of Paris, this structure will become a real lever for the development of the capital.
Huawei, ParisTech’s partner to facilitate PhD students' professional integration
Huawei, the leader in solutions for latest-generation telecommunications operator networks, has just signed a partnership with ParisTech to support the class of 2009 on the "PhD for Enterprise" programme. This programme, which is sponsored by Huawei, offers PhD students bound for corporate careers with training during which they develop and perfect their knowledge of how companies work.
New chair in water services and purification in developing countries
In June ParisTech and the SUEZ ENVIRONMENT FOUNDATION-Water for All, housed at the Institut de France, established a long-term partnership on the topic of developing access to water and purification in developing countries through the “Water for All” chair la chaire Eau Pour Tous created by AgroParisTech and MINES ParisTech.
The goals of this teaching and research chair are to strengthen the skills of future water service and purification managers in developing and emerging countries or in transition, launch applied research programmes based on issues in those countries and contribute to the spread of knowledge, know-how and operational practices in the areas of the management of urban drinking water services and purification networks in such countries.
The deadline for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) invitation to tender bids for "knowledge and innovation communities" (KICs) was 27 August. ParisTech is involved, in varying degrees, in proposals that have been submitted in each of the three areas:
- an "I'Cities-ICT for smart and sustainable cities" proposal in the area of the "Next Generation Information and Communication Society". ParisTech will mainly be in charge of the Île-de-France's contribution to the training part.
- a "Climate-KIC" proposal in the area of "Climate change mitigation and adaptation". ParisTech is eagerly awaited not only for the section on training but also for the possibility of more broadly contributing to the project's construction, in the genesis of which the IDEA League network played a vital role.
- ParisTech, which is present to a lesser degree ("network partner") in an "InnoEnergy" proposal in the area of "Sustainable Energy", is likely to become involved on a case-by-case basis in training actions of a KIC whose French contribution is mainly based in Grenoble.
If these proposals clear the first dossier selection hurdles, the next major step will be a series of hearings the EIT will hold in December 2009. The selected KIC projects will start up in 2010.
The ParisTech Entrepreneur Paris incubator project, which backs the creation of innovative companies in the areas of scientific and technological expertise and is intended for ParisTech graduates and researchers, has obtained the City of Paris’s “Paris Innovation” label. A 1,200m² area to house the facility has already been set aside in an Arts et Métiers ParisTech real estate project. ParisTech Entrepreneur complements the Agoranov and Incuballiance incubators and will inherit the Télécom ParisTech incubator, whose dynamism is a matter of record: over 30 trailblazing projects in incubation in Paris, 109 created companies in activity, including approximately 10 whose turnover has surpassed one million euros, and 1,000 jobs created make it one of France’s most important incubators.
On 28 April ParisTech Student Centre Director Jean-Claude Loncle signed the sustainable development charter of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, which seeks to reach the "3x20 European" goals by 2020:
- 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,
- 20% increase in use of renewable energy,
- 20% reduction of energy consumption.
Cooperation agreement between ParisTech and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and ParisTech signed a cooperation agreement on 8 June 2009 during a research seminar on wireless communication, nanotechnology and photonics.
The goal of this agreement with Singapore’s most prestigious technological university is to develop cooperation in the areas of teaching and research based on equality and reciprocity.
HEC Graduate association joins ParisTech Alumni
Following HEC's inclusion as a founding member of ParisTech last June, ParisTech Alumni's board enthusiastically welcomed HEC Graduate association's request to join its ranks recognising a common identity of their roles and values. The HEC Association organises and leads the network maintaining or creating friendly and professional bonds among the 43,000 graduates whatever their professions or geographical location worldwide. With this arrival, ParisTech increases its strength by representing over 170,000 graduates; its network abroad is being extended at the same time since it now includes 63 active groups. The priority of the HEC association within ParisTech Alumni will be directed towards the development of the ParisTech name abroad to promote the reputation of all the ParisTech schools.
New programmes in Chile
In the course of last term, ParisTech negotiated the setting-up of the Chilfitec exchange programme with the 4 main universities of the country. Chile expressed an interest in increasing doctorates abroad. A government programme of “BECACHILE” grants has just been launched with bids for proposals according to geographical area. Participation by ParisTech in this programme is a wish of the Embassy and our Chilean partners
10 years after its founding, IFCIM is set for new growthAt the Supervisory Committee meeting held at Tongji on 14 November last, the governors of IFCIM (Sino-French Institute of Engineering and Management) decided to work jointly on an action plan for the next 5 years, aimed at developing together the various possibilities of organising joint training and cooperation in the research field. Founded in 1998, by the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech and ParisTech on the one hand and by the University of Tongji on the other, IFCIM is housed in the Sino-French Centre of the University of Tongji. The Chinese section of the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (SIMBA) is organised here as well as 6 vocational master’s degrees and two specialised master’s degrees. These Sino-French training courses are coordinated by Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, AgroParisTech, ESPICI ParisTech, MINES ParisTech and TELECOM ParisTech; each year a hundred students sign up for the MBA, and ten students for each of the other courses.
ParisTech at the CampusFrance fair at BeijingFrom 17 to 19 October, the Chinese team of ParisTech took part in the CampusFrance fair at Beijing to present the various programmes of its member schools. The ParisTech stand attracted many visitors including several dozens of students pre-selected by ParisTech to join one of its member schools. The ParisTech team also had the pleasure of welcoming Mr Hervé Ladsous, French Ambassador to China and Mr. Alexandre Ziegler, Cooperation and Cultural Action Advisor in China.
Collaborative projects with Tomsk Polytechnic University – RussiaOn 28 November, a TPU seminar (Tomsk Polytechnic University – Tomsk, Russia) took place at the Ecole Polytechnique in partnership with ParisTech. The objective of the Russian delegation, presided by Professor Chuchalin, Vice-Rector in charge of international relations, was to provide information about how TPU operates, its teaching programmes and its priorities regarding research and international cooperation with a view to a future collaboration with ParisTech's schools and research laboratories. TPU is especially interested in nuclear energy, ITCs, nano-technologies, petroleum engineering and technology management.