The winners of the 2026 edition of the Next40/FrenchTech 120 program, which supports the most promising French startups, were announced on June 17. One in three Next40 startups was founded, co-founded, or is led by an École Polytechnique alumnus; for the FrenchTech 120, the figure is nearly one in four.
Elisabeth Maria Niel, Simone Kotthaus, Chloé Techens, and Clément Bonet have received funding from the École Polytechnique Foundation. These Launching Packages will enable them to set up their research teams within École Polytechnique’s laboratories.
The Structural Biology of the Cell Laboratory (BIOC*), in collaboration with Ifremer in Brest, the CBI in Toulouse, and Institut Pasteur, has identified a molecule in archaea capable of putting the ribosome, a cellular machinery essential to cells, into a state of dormancy. This “hibernation factor” binds to the ribosome when external conditions are unfavorable.
Speaking to the X25 cohort of École Polytechnique students, Antoine Bordes, Chief Scientific Officer at Helsing, emphasised the importance of developing technologies that serve European defence, whilst not overlooking the issue of the responsibility of engineers and military personnel. With their first-class training in science, and now in artificial intelligence, students at École Polytechnique will be able to innovate within the government or private companies to build a society capable of protecting its values by placing people at the heart of decision-making.
Philippe Hazet, head of the École Polytechnique X-UP incubator, outlines the key considerations behind our participation in the 2026 edition of the Viva Technology trade fair. This major global event for innovation and new technologies will take place from 17 to 20 June at the Porte de Versailles in Paris.
Nadir Soucha, a third-year doctoral student in management sciences at L' X Interdisciplinary Laboratory (LINX*) and the automotive supplier Valeo, is conducting a comparative study of emissions from industrial production in France and India.
Emmanuel Candès (X90) is a co-winner of the prestigious 2026 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences. The Shaw Prizes, sometimes referred to as the “Asian Nobel Prizes,” honor scientists in three fields: astronomy, biological and medical sciences, and mathematics.
Arnaud Prost (X2012) is set to embark on his first space mission aboard Haven-1, the first commercial space station developed by the American startup Vast, for a test flight. Arnaud Prost will thus become the eleventh French citizen and the third École Polytechnique graduate to have flown in space.
École Polytechnique’s team won the 18th International Physics Tournament (IPT), for which it had qualified by winning the 13th French Physics Tournament. The IPT was held in the United States for the first time in 2026, hosted by Oklahoma State University from May 26 to 30.
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Sustainable Development
When they founded the start-up Jane in 2023, Simon Heurtebise and Nathan Bouldoires wanted to be part of an increasingly significant initiative: collective self-consumption. With their software, they simplify the administrative management of these complex projects and thus contribute to the green transition by promoting the sharing of renewable energy, particularly solar power. In 2024–2025, they received support from École polytechnique’s incubator, X-UP, which enabled them to bring their idea to fruition. This support demonstrates the importance École polytechnique places on supporting projects that are meaningful and beneficial to society.
In May, Micah Goldblum, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Columbia University, spent four weeks at l’X as an Alliance Visiting Professor. His stay at the Center for Applied Mathematics (CMAP) enabled him and El Mahdi El Mhamdi, a professor at École Polytechnique, to advance their international scientific collaboration, which also involves PhD students from both institutions.
X2009 and Professor Monge at the Laurent Schwartz Mathematics Center (CMLS*), Martin Leguil and his colleague Davi Obata received the Lounsbery 250 Years Award. This award was established to celebrate Franco-American ties in science.
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