France-Atlanta 2011" was co-presented by the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology:
a) Co-presenters: 
The Consulate General of France in Atlanta:
Established in 1989, the Consulate General of France in Atlanta is the French diplomatic outpost to the South-eastern United States, serving the six states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The role of the consulate is to serve the interests of France and the French people as well as to build bridges with the region where it is located. If cooperation between France and the Southeastern United States already exist, Pascal Le Deunff, Consul General wants to further develop them. For more information : www.consulfrance-atlanta.org.
Georgia Institute of Technology:
Founded in 1885, the Georgia Institute of Technology is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It has satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia; Metz, France; Athlone, Ireland; Shanghai, China; and Singapore. Georgia Tech is organized into six colleges and contains about 31 departments/units, with a strong emphasis on science and technology. It is most recognized for its degree programs in engineering, computing, and the sciences, but also offers degrees in architecture, liberal arts, and management. For more information: www.gatech.edu.
Georgia Tech – Lorraine:
Georgia Tech-Lorraine (GTL) was established as Georgia Tech’s first international campus in 1990 in Metz, France. A highly innovative institution offering year-round undergraduate, Masters and PhD programs, GTL is also home to a strong sponsored research program in key technological areas. Students can gain valuable research experience and graduate education in the Unité Mixte Internationale (UMI), an international joint laboratory between Georgia Tech and the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). In today’s global economy, Georgia Tech-Lorraine plays a determining role in fulfilling one of the goals of the Institute as stated in its strategic plan: "Georgia Tech must prepare our students for lifelong engagement within an international setting. A Georgia Tech education must import a greater awareness and appreciation of broader differences in language, culture, and custom". For more information: www.georgiatech-metz.fr.
b) French-American partners:
Agence de la Biomédecine:
The Agence de la biomédecine is a national public agency created by the Bioethics Law of 2004. It is the only such public body in Europe to combine the four domains of organ procurement, procreation, human embryology and genetics. Through its expertise, it is the reference authority on medical, scientific and ethical questions related to the collection and transplantation of organs, tissues and cells, as well as in the areas of reproduction, embryology and genetics. The Agence de la biomédecine makes every effort to ensure that each patient receives the care s/he needs, in accordance with the rules of safety, ethics and fairness. For more information: www.agence-biomedecine.fr.
Alliance Française in Atlanta:
A member-supported 501c3 non-profit organization, Alliance Française d’Atlanta is the French-American Cultural Center serving the Atlanta community as the premiere provider of French language and culture since 1912. They offer French language studies and cultural exchange programs promoting French culture representing France and 50 Francophone countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. They also provide French language classes for all levels and cultural programs in the form of art exhibits, lectures, concerts, movies, trips to French-speaking countries and more. They are committed to education and cultural outreach to communities in and around Atlanta and fostering cross-cultural understanding. For more information:www.afatl.com.
Association Ensemble:
Association Ensemble gathers parents whose children are enrolled in the French Department of the Atlanta International School (AIS). This organization’s goal is to foster and develop the French section at AIS, promoting academic excellence, the French language as well as cultural and social activities. For further information, please contact Nicolas de Kerorguen at ensemble_ais@yahoo.com.
Atlanta-Accueil:
Atlanta-Accueil is an organization gathering more than one hundred members of the French community in Metro Atlanta. Its goal is to welcome and help French citizens in their expatriate experience, especially newcomers. They organize many activities to help members of the French community discover the city and its surroundings, and also helps individuals and families having difficulties. To know more : www.atlanta-accueil.org.
Atlanta-Toulouse Sister Cities Committee:
The Atlanta-Toulouse Sister Cities Committee operates under the umbrella of Sister Cities International. Atlanta began its official sister city relationship with Toulouse on December 17, 1974, when then Mayor Maynard Jackson signed a proclamation declaring Toulouse one of Atlanta’s official sister cities. ATSSC aims at promoting friendship and build personal and business relationships between the citizens of Toulouse, France, and Atlanta. For more information: www.sprawls.org/ATSCC/.
The City of Toulouse:
Toulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne. It is one of the bases of the European aerospace industry, with the headquarters of Airbus, Galileo positioning system, the SPOT satellite system, and CNES’s Toulouse Space Centre (CST), the largest space centre in Europe. In March 2008, Pierre Cohen was elected Mayor. For more information: http://www.toulouse.fr (in French only).
Centre National de la recherche scientifique:
National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) is a government-funded research organization, under the administrative authority of France’s Ministry of Research whose mission is to produce and disseminate knowledge to the service of society. As the largest fundamental research organization in Europe, the CNRS carries out research in all fields of knowledge. Encouraging collaboration between specialists from different disciplines, in particular with the university, thus opening up new fields of enquiry to meet social and economic needs, it has developed interdisciplinary programs which bring together various CNRS departments as well as other research institutions and industry. For more information: www.cnrs.fr/-> http://www.cnrs.fr/.
Ecole du Samedi:
Ecole du Samedi is an organization offering French classes to children ages 3-12. Classes are available for native and non native speakers from September to May. For more information, consult Ecole du samedi’s Web site :www.frenchschoolatlanta.org.
Erai:
Erai was created in France in 1987 on the initiative of the Rhône-Alpes Regional Council. Their main mission is to help the companies of the Rhône-Alpes region to export and promote the local competences and know-how at an international level. Each year, Erai assists more than 1,000 Rhône-Alpes SME’s, provides 300 firms with personalized support through its agencies over the world, helps 200 firms to find international funding solutions and works closely with more than 22,000 business contacts worldwide. Its Atlanta office celebrated their 10 year anniversary in 2009,. For more information : www.erai.org/en/.
French-American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta:
The French American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta is a bi-national, non-profit organization that seeks to contribute to the development and improvement of economic, commercial and financial relations between France and the Southeastern Untied States. They encourage sales of goods and services between both countries and promote better international understanding. They also provide information about the economy and business environments to French and American enterprises to help promote investment from commercial and industrial enterprises of each country in the other. They facilitate the interaction among members to foster advantageous economic, commercial and financial relationships between France and the United States of America. For more information : www.facc-atlanta.com.
French Heritage Society:
French Heritage Society (FHS) was founded in 1982 to help preserve the architectural patrimony of France and the French legacy in America. It is an American non-profit organization that fulfills its mission in both countries by providing restoration grants, educational programs and exchanges, cultural travel opportunities, commemoration of events that have marked French-American history, and emergency intervention in response to natural disasters. For more information : www.frenchheritagesociety.org.
French Trade Commission – Ubifrance:
The French Trade Commission - Ubifrance network in the United States (Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco) is divided into both geographic and economic domains. In this respect, the French Trade Commission – Ubifrance in Atlanta specializes in the service sector for the entire U.S. territory. There are also two experts, correspondents for the New York Mission, responsible for the South-eastern region, who specialize in the following industry sectors: “Consumer Goods” and “Food, Wines and Spirits”. The French Trade Commission – Ubifrance network assists companies wanting to export, settle in the United States, or develop commercial relationships on American soil, particularly in the Southeast region. For more information : www.ubifrance.fr.
Foreign Trade Advisors of France (Southeast region):
The French Foreign Trade Advisors or CCE’s are men and women chosen within the business community for their skills and work experience. Appointed for three years by a decree from the Prime Minister, they share their expertise on a voluntary basis by providing government with their recommendations, sponsoring small companies in their international expansion, and educating and informing young people about international trade careers. The Southeastern section has about a dozen members focusing their efforts in this region of the United States. For more information : http://ccefseus.host56.com.
Inserm:
Founded in 1964, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is a public scientific and technological institute which operates under the joint authority of the French Ministry of Health and French Ministry of Research. As the only French public research institute to focus entirely on human health, in 2008 Inserm took on the responsibility for the strategic, scientific and operational coordination of biomedical research. The Institute’s official mission includes Scientific monitoring and expertise. Inserm plays a leading role in creating the European Research Area and boosts its standing abroad through close partnerships (teams and partner laboratories abroad). For more information: www.inserm.fr/.
Institut Français:
The Institut Français works closely with the French cultural network abroad, consisting of over 150 French Institutes and almost 1000 French Alliances in the world. It was created by the French government as an agency to promote cultural activities outside of France in terms of artistic exchanges - performing arts, visual arts, architecture - broadcast worldwide book, film, French language, knowledge and ideas. Additionally, it has recently developed a new program for the dissemination of scientific culture. For more information: www.institutfrancais.com (in French only).
Montpellier University Regional Medical Center:
Montpellier University Regional Medical Center (CHRU de Montpellier), ranked fifth largest University Medical Center in France, is one of the leading health centers in the country, with seven institutions involved in all areas of health. Serving three core missions of care, teaching and research, it is also involved in the areas of social work and prevention. Montpellier University Regional Medical Center incorporates advanced technologies and high-performance medical equipment as part of its vision of progress and innovation. For more information: www.chu-montpellier.fr (in French only).
Nantes University Medical Center:
The Nantes University Medical Center (CHU de Nantes)is a centre of reference and excellence in several domains on an inter-regional and national scale: cardiology, transplants, oncology, cellular and gene therapy, neuroscience, serious burns unit, etc. It actively contributes to advances in medical and pharmaceutical science through its research activity. In addition to its traditional curative treatment missions, the Nantes University Medical Center also runs prevention and health education initiatives. Partnered with the University of Nantes’ schools of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy and it is actively involved in graduate and post-graduate teaching as well as training of hospital and general practitioners. Additionally, it also provides initial and further training to health care professionals (nurses, nurse’s aides, mid-wives, infant care assistants, social workers, ambulance crews, electro-radiology operators, etc.). For more information: www.chu-nantes.fr/.
Necker Hospital :
Necker Hospital, an institution of the University Medical Center Public Assistance- Hospitals of Paris, has all the medical and surgical specialties for children and a selection of specialized services for adults. As a center of reference for numerous rare sicknesses, supporting specialized pediatric conditions, emergencies and rare diseases as well as for particularly complex pathologies, Necker Hospital also works in conjunction with the Paris Descartes School of Medicine, with the majority of its physicians participating in education and research. For more information: www.hopital-necker.aphp.fr/ (in French only).
Théâtre du Rêve:
As Atlanta’s unique French-language theatre company, Le Théâtre du Rêve’s mission is to bring the language and cultures of the French-speaking world to life on the American stage. They strive to create a true dialogue between American and French-speaking artists. For more information : www.theatredureve.com.
Toulouse University Medical Center:
Toulouse University Medical Center (CHU de Toulouse), ranked fourth largest in France, is organized into 15 clinical centers. Focusing on healthcare, prevention, education, and research, it has distinguished itself for nearly 15 years, topping the charts made by the national press. Besides clinical and pre-clinical research, as an institution strongly committed to the future, it is also open to innovation both in terms of organization and technological innovation, collaborating with medical practitioners and university research teams from Inserm and CNRS, among others, and which include cancer and geriatrics research projects. On an international level, Toulouse University Medical Center opens to foreign health institutions in the framework of expertise and partnership agreements. For more information: www.chu-toulouse.fr/ (in French only).
c) Local American partners:
Atlanta Celebrates Photography:
Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation of the photographic arts and the enrichment of the Atlanta art community. ACP hosts an annual, citywide photography festival in October: the Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival. The festival includes a wide variety of exhibitions and multiple events around Atlanta and throughout the surrounding communities. The festival’s diverse offerings bring together professional and amateur photographers, general art enthusiasts, gallery owners, critics, and collectors. Throughout the year, ACP sponsors additional community programming and opportunities specifically for the professional development of photographers. For more information: www.acpinfo.org/.
Art Papers:
ART PAPERS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the examination, development, and definition of art and culture in the world today. Its mission is to provide an independent and accessible forum for the exchange of perspectives on the role of contemporary art as a socially relevant and engaged discourse. This mission is implemented through the publication of ART PAPERS Magazine and the presentation of public programs. For more information: www.artpapers.org/.
BronzeLens:
The BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, Georgia is a non-profit organization, founded in 2009, that is dedicated to bringing national and worldwide attention to Atlanta as a center for film and film production for people of color. The mission of the BronzeLens Film Festival of Atlanta, Georgia is two-fold: to promote Atlanta as the new film mecca for people of color; and to showcase films and provide networking opportunities that will develop the next generation of filmmakers. For more information: www.bronzelensfilmfestival.com/.
CARE:
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives. For more information: www.care.org/.
The Carter Center
The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Atlanta-based Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. Led by the Carters and an independent board of trustees, the Center’s staff wage peace, fight disease, and build hope by both engaging with those at the highest levels of government and working side by side with poor and often forgotten people. For more information: www.cartercenter.org..
City of Atlanta
The City of Atlanta, under the leadership of Mayor Kasim Reed, is the county seat of Fulton County and the location of the seat of government of the state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta’s population is 420,003, and the 5,268,860 people in the Atlanta metropolitan area make it the third largest in the Southern United States. Atlanta is considered to be a top business city, containing world headquarters for many major corporations and is a primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States—via highway, railroad, and air. Home to several universities and colleges, Atlanta offers a plethora of cultural, intellectual, economic, and social outlets. For more information: www.atlantaga.gov.
Emory University:
Emory University, a top 20 research university located in Atlanta, Georgia, is an inquiry-driven, ethically engaged and diverse community whose members work collaboratively for positive transformation in the world through courageous leadership in teaching, research, scholarship, health care and social action. The university is recognized internationally for its outstanding liberal arts college, superb professional schools and one of the Southeast’s leading health care systems. For more information: www.emory.edu.
Emory University School of Medicine:
Emory University School of Medicine, a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, is ranked among the nation’s finest institutions for biomedical education. The School of Medicine is located on the main Emory University campus in the Druid Hills section of Atlanta and in Emory-owned and affiliated medical facilities throughout metropolitan Atlanta. The School of Medicine’s three-part mission encompasses teaching, scholarship, and service. Nearly 7,000 physicians and other health care professionals come to Emory each year to participate in one of the nation’s largest and most successful continuing medical education programs.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm and lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, developing new domestic and international markets, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, please visit: www.georgia.org.
MedShare
MedShare is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of the surplus of medical supplies and equipment to those most in need. They collect surplus medical supplies and equipment from hospitals, medical distribution companies and individuals, and then redistribute them to qualified healthcare facilities in the developing world. They also outfit medical missions and safety net clinics in both the U.S. and abroad. For more information, please visit: www.medshare.org.
The Metro Atlanta Chamber
The Metro Atlanta Chamber mobilizes and connects the business community to drive economic development and public policies that promote sustainable growth. Our board draws from Atlanta’s top business leaders. We have a professional staff of 90 and serve 4,000 member companies who employ nearly 1 million workers. We create value in return for our members’ time and investment by producing results on each issue we choose to tackle. For more information, please visit: www.metroatlantachamber.com.
The Peace Corps
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship. Today’s Peace Corps is more vital than ever, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and contributing to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities. For more information, please visit: www.peacecorps.gov/ .
The Rialto Center
The Rialto Center for the Arts is Georgia State University’s performing-arts venue located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The venue presents the best of national and international dance and music, with the mission to inspire, educate, and entertain diverse audiences by presenting innovative and exceptional arts programming and cultivating community partnerships.
SCAD
Founded in 1978, The Savannah College of Art and Design exists to prepare talented students for professional careers, emphasizing learning through individual attention in a positively oriented university environment. With locations in Savannah, Atlanta, Singapore, and Lacoste, SCAD offers more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university and seeks to provide a superior education through talented and dedicated faculty and staff, leading-edge technology, advanced learning resources and comprehensive support services. For more information, please visit: www.scad.edu/ .
Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a private, independent, liberal arts higher education institution. As the premier historically Black college for women and one of the finest institutions for undergraduate education nationwide, their goals include integrating and globalizing learning, teaching creatively and rigorously, leading from their authentic core, living sustainably, improving themselves continuously, and collaborating to better the quality of life in Atlanta. www.spelman.edu/.