ESTIA: a breeding ground for engineers and business people

Founded at the initiative of the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1996, the École Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées is the top engineering graduate school in the French Basque Country. It currently has 170 students. Thanks to dual degree partnerships with the Bilbao Engineering School and three leading English universities, the courses are trilingual and provide future engineers with a French and European dual degree. The disciplines taught cover three main industrial functions: digital design and innovation, mechatronics and embedded systems, and organisation and industrial management. The programme alternates between theoretical classes and practical internships.

ESTIA ENTREPRENDRE, the school’s department dedicated to new technologies, has first-level and second-level business incubators. “The first-level incubator supports the future structure during its initial development phases: validation of project feasibility, drafting a business plan, product development, identification of future clients… It currently hosts 15 business start-ups”, says Jean-Roch Guiresse, Director of ESTIA. “Once the project has been launched, the new company joins the second-level incubator. Throughout the start-up phase it is supported and monitored, and this help is indispensable to ensure it lasts”. A recipe for success! Over the last 10 years more than 70 companies have started up, generating 700 jobs of which 75% are for engineers.

One of Technoflex’s key undertakings is to foster and encourage the professional integration of people aged under 26. Technoflex R&D regularly takes on students between their 1st and 3rd years for placements. Depending on their level of qualification, they work on Technoflex’s mechanical reinforcement modules and/or manage mini-projects. They are supervised by an R&D manager, an expert professor and external tutors. The 3rd-year placement lasting 6 months is an integral part of the thesis defended by the student.

Strongly involved locally, Technoflex also invests in the ESTIA Enterprise Foundation, which it co-founded and which brings together companies keen to develop convergence between higher education and applied research. For the company it is an opportunity to showcase the plastics and healthcare professions to young engineers and to play a role in society. Five ESTIA engineers now bring their expertise to bear for the company.

Sylvie Ponlot