19 mars 2012 | Graduate school of engineering | A- A A+

ECE Paris has launched a vast program to encourage innovation at every stage of education

Since September 2011, ECE Paris has launched a vast program to encourage innovation at every stage of education, and to bolster the quality of its project-based learning strategy. Today, more than 200 team-projects are conducted annually on campus. These projects, based on topics related to the school’s cutting-edge technological expertise (embedded systems, telecommunication networks, sustainable development, medical devices, transportation, etc) are an integral part of the curriculum at all levels of the five-year engineering program. ECE has implemented this project’s valorization program in order to leverage the students’ projects from mere pedagogical exercises into real professional achievements.

Until last year, students had only occasionally presented the results of their research at international meetings or at prestigious competitions. In order to expand upon these achievements, valorization of students’ projects has become mandatory and six main axes of project valorization have been defined: publication of a peer-reviewed scientific article, participation in a national or international competition, filing of a patent application, development of an open source contribution, service provided to a partner company or launching of a startup. In order to encourage projects with an even greater impact, a coaching-based education program, provided by professional experts, has been put into place in areas such as intellectual property, business planning or research publication.

This project-based operational approach has already led to tangible results, including the development of 15 startup projects. In order to continue guiding these projects after the graduation of the project-team, ECE is opening a technological incubator offering office space and services as well as business and technological guidance. This “early-stage” incubator is expected to host up to 12 startup projects for 12-18 month periods, and to respond to the growing interest of young professionals for innovation and entrepreneurship.