École Polytechnique Corporate Relations Charter

Founded in 1794, École Polytechnique is a higher education and research institution which develops excellence scientific training programs and cutting-edge fundamental and applicative research. Born of the Enlightenment and rooted in a strong humanist tradition, École Polytechnique is a republican institution under the aegis of the Ministry for the Armed Forces, entrusted to produce and transmit the highest level of scientific knowledge for the benefit of all.

As a component of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, École Polytechnique confirms its position as a world leader in education and research, asserts its societal and environmental responsibility and strives to actively contribute to the technological and economic sovereignty of France and Europe.

A firm believer that businesses and public research bodies must work closely together to facilitate the emergence of groundbreaking innovations and accelerate their roll-out for society, École Polytechnique cooperates in each of its fields of excellence with a vast number of corporations and public institutions.

From the fields of training and research to innovation and equal opportunity, the School is currently boosting its ties with companies, whose invaluable support contributes to the growth of the institution.

1. Aim of the Charter

The aim of the present Charter is to reiterate the values and principles guiding École Polytechnique’s actions in the context of its relations with public or private companies, whether or not these dealings are accompanied by financial flows.

The primary aim of the Charter is to ensure the independence of École Polytechnique’s strategic choices with regard to its partners, in addition to the objectivity of its research and training activities. It also aims to affirm the School’s desire to collaborate on projects contributing to the sovereignty and sustainability of French and European economic and productive models, in keeping with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

X is aware that the Charter is non-exhaustive and its content may be subject to further clarification or addition.

2. Scope of application of the Charter

The present Charter applies to all patronage and partnership agreements and all forms of business dealings held or concluded by École Polytechnique with private or public companies. The École Polytechnique Foundation and the School’s subsidiaries and student organizations also apply this Charter, while allowing for their individual specificities. 
It also applies to corporate patronage agreements concluded by FX which are wholly or partially allocated to projects or actions by the School. In this framework, the present Charter is to be brought to the knowledge of corporate patrons linked indirectly to École Polytechnique.

3. Reminder of École Polytechnique’s values and principles

Research for general interest and the common good

For more than two hundred years, X’s vocation has been to produce and transmit multi-disciplinary knowledge of the highest level for the benefit of all. In particular, its mission is to contribute to French and European sovereignty and the sustainability of our societal and productive models. This principle is applied to the School’s three fundamental missions: training, research and innovation.

Independence

As a public higher education and research institution, École Polytechnique retains full and total control of its strategic choices. Companies linked to the School undertake to comply with its scientific and educational projects and choices.
In the course of a partnership, the partner may put forward proposals to a joint steering committee. In the context of patronage, the patron may not interfere in the scientific content of the project, but, on X’s request, this does not exclude the patron from putting forward proposals within a joint management committee.
Patronage or partnership agreements, and more specifically in relation to governance, will ensure compliance with the principles of the present Charter, and notably the preservation of the School’s strategic integrity.

Scientific integrity and openness

As cardinal values of the scientific approach, scientific integrity and openness guide all the actions of the School and its community. The principle of scientific integrity is based notably on honesty and rigor in the production of data and results, compliance with the good practices of the fields in question, the protection and transfer of intellectual property assets arising from scientific discoveries, and adherence to the principles of peer assessment and validation. The School prioritizes the dissemination of results in high-level scientific publications in partnership with the companies contributing to the production of these results, subsequent to the implementation of an adequate intellectual property strategy in accordance with the best practices in the field.
The School develops the wealth and diversity of its partnerships. With the exception of a duly-established framework, the School cannot grant the exclusivity of its results to a company. In order to enhance the societal impact of inventions emerging in the course of its partnerships, the School will ensure each of its economic partners are granted the operating rights required for the development of the invention in its strict field of expertise.

Excellence

For more than two hundred years, École Polytechnique has fostered excellence in all its areas of intervention. Through the quality of the students it trains, the cutting-edge scientific research developed in its laboratories, and increasingly effective technology transfers, the School aims to maintain its ranking among the world’s most renowned higher education and research institutions.
The School’s corporate partners or patrons share this desire to operate on the highest level for scientific progress and position their actions from the prospective of excellence open to an innovative society.

Environmental and societal responsibility

X strives to collaborate with institutions guided by an ambitious environmental and societal responsibility policy. The School will be particularly attentive to actions led to attenuate current climate change and reduce all forms of inequality, through both the adaptation of productive systems, specifically via their energy transition, and the promotion of a diverse and inclusive society. The School thus prioritizes projects contributing positively to the development of a sustainable societal model and is thus particularly attentive to their coherence with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Transparency

Patronage and partnership operations with corporations are mandatorily subject to written agreements. With regard to dealings involving corporate funding of its activities, the School undertakes to use the funds endowed in accordance with the best ethical and transparency practices, and to report on said use in the governance framework defined by the agreement.

Impartiality and compliance with rules

Suppliers or service providers to École Polytechnique, FX or the School’s subsidiaries may set up financial patronage, patronage in kind or skill-based sponsorship (as is the case for any other company), provided this support preserves the principle of disinterested giving: it may not constitute a commercial advantage nor aim to favor a supplier or provider to the detriment of another.
X and FX refuse to conclude a patronage agreement with a corporation or company foundation which may cast doubt on the impartiality of service provider choice, or influence an ongoing or future call-for-tender procedure.
Likewise, the School reserves the right to refuse collaboration with a company if such a relation may lead to a conflict of interest or prejudice the rules of quality, ethics or integrity which govern its activities.

Respect for the image of the School and that of its partner

The School undertakes to respect the image and reputation of companies with regard to all actions of the joint project. In particular, it will ensure that the name chosen for all media is that chosen with each partner or patron, represented by its name, company name, logo or any other name that is well known to be representative of the company's identity.

In exchange, École Polytechnique will ensure that its partners or patrons cause no harm to its image or reputation, and that they respect the School’s identity in their communication, whether on a general level or in relation to a specific project.

4. Commitments on the part of patrons and partners

All corporate partners or patrons expressly undertake to:

• Adhere fully and totally to the values and ethical principles of the present Charter.
• Ensure their own compliance with the legislative and regulatory framework of France and other countries, specifically with regard to the fight against corruption, business ethics, respect for the environment and human rights.
• Respect the image and reputation of the School and stakeholders.
• Pose no threat to the legitimate interests of the School, FX or the School’s subsidiaries.