France-Amérique: Georgia Tech Lorraine, A Model of Cooperation between France and Atlanta, 10/17/2011
For the second consecutive year, the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology, will launch France-Atlanta 2011 on October 26. Placed under the concept of innovation, this event is also an opportunity to reinforce to the academic partnership between Atlanta and Metz, a model of cooperation between the Hexagon and the United States. Interview with Yves Berthelot, President of Georgia Tech Lorraine.
Could you introduce Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech is a great American university, leader in all fields of innovation and technology. More than twenty years ago, a branch in Metz, France was created, under the leadership of Jean-Marie Rausch, the former mayor and president of the Regional Council of Lorraine. You must see the Georgia Tech Lorraine like a campus building in Atlanta. It is based on three pillars: training, research with a strong industrial partnership, and innovation, its technical transfer and economic development.
How does the partnership between France and the United States work?
This partnership is, to my knowledge, unique in the world, making Georgia Tech one of the few universities rooted in both French and American structures, whether in training, in research or in development. GTL welcomes over 450 students each year, of which 300 are from the American campus in Atlanta. We also receive French students who finish their engineering degree and begin their master of science in Metz before they finish it in Atlanta. All courses are in English.
What are the preferred fields of this structure?
We are at the forefront in all aspects of nanotechnology applied to new materials in optics, electronics, energy, aeronautic and health. We are also specialized in cyber security.
How important are the scientific symposia that will be organized in the second edition of France-Atlanta?
With these symposiums, the industrial world, with whom we have already initiated relations can get even more involved. It also helps to strengthen the partnership between France and Atlanta within the research we do in the International Joint Unit (IMU), an international laboratory between Georgia Tech and CNRS in France. We have created a rich ecosystem which shows that the French-American cooperation is a model that works.
Tell us about the project of Lafayette College in Metz?
The Lafayette Institute is a center of technological and marketing resources, a crucial step between the worlds of research and industry, based on over 20 years experience at Georgia Tech (Atlanta) in this area. Based in Metz, it will be a catalyst for economic development and technology transfer focused on nanotechnology. It will be a real bridge between Atlanta and Metz, allowing U.S. companies to enter on the Lorraine market. The Lafayette Institute is expected to open late 2013. France provides nearly 23 million euro in 2018, it must be self-supporting.
For more information on France-Atlanta, please visit france-atlanta.org
From the article : http://www.france-amerique.com/articles/2011/10/17/georgia_tech_lorraine_un_modele_de_cooperation_entre_la_france_et_atlanta.html