L’X sets its priorities for 2020
L'X's priorities for 2020 will enable it to carry on with its in-depth transformation in order to assert itself as a world-class scientific, technologic, educational and research institution able to attract the best French and foreign researchers and students and to remain an essential driver of France’s power and influence.
In a context of increased international competition, the School is facing major challenges in each of its key activities - education, research and innovation.
Fostering the new education programs
L’X thus intends to carry on developing the new programs launched alongside its highly selective and intensive engineering cycle renowned for its excellency.
École Polytechnique has launched new courses fully taught in en glish (The Bachelor in 2017, Masters of Science & Technology or MSc & T, and the Executive Master in 2016) consistent with international standards.
With the first graduations, these new courses will assert themselves strongly and confirm their success. The Bachelor shows signs of a high quality of training with 45 students on exchange semesters in the best universities in the world.
For MSc & T, the first survey on the professional integration of graduates shows that 68% of graduates are recruited by a company, 14% are pursuing a doctorate (and 4% outside of a doctorate), 6% become entrepreneurs by creating their company and 8% are dedicated to a personal project.
The School will continue to rely on the strengths of its historical model and in particular on its link with the Armies. The military status of its students is the only one compatible with a real commitment of students within the armed forces during their training period.
The School also wishes to strengthen its link with the Ministry of the Armed Forces which, far from being obsolete, makes it possible to respond to the major challenges of innovation in the armies and the much needed reinforcement of ties between the community and Defense.
A more renowned research
Reinforcing the visibility of l’X’s research is a second major priority of the year ahead.
École Polytechnique's scientific policy covers cutting-edge disciplines and is based on 23 internationally recognized laboratories. Its research strategy is part of that developed for Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which will be unveiled by the end of the first quarter of 2020.
The launch by Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which brings together École Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris, ENSAE Paris, Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis, of disciplinary communities of lecturers-researchers and of an interdisciplinary research program illustrates the relevance of a common approach allowing the development of large visible and attractive training and research projects.
After the launch in 2019 of an interdisciplinary Energy for Climate research center (E4C) dedicated to low-carbon energies, a major sovereignty issue for the coming decades, École Polytechnique and its partners in Institut Polytechnique de Paris are thus preparing the creation of another dedicated to artificial intelligence and data analysis, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis (AIDA) with HEC.
In terms of innovation, the School will focus in 2020 on the extension of its ecosystem built around its incubator-accelerator, the Drahi-X Novation Center, with the objective of recruiting five potential new unicorns and the deployment of the fund X-Square bootstrap.
To give itself the means to achieve its ambitions, l'X is fully mobilized to strengthen its links with businesses and develop its own resources.
The School will also continue the effort undertaken to improve its organization and the efficiency of its processes. The establishment of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris will give it financial leeway through pooling and development projects in common with other institutions.
2020 should thus make it possible to anchor the future of the School within Institut Polytechnique de Paris while strengthening its social and environmental responsibility, with the deployment of its diversity plan unveiled in October, and the implementation of its five commitments for sustainable development made in June 2019.