GT–Lorraine brokers international lab agreement

Robert Nesmith
Communications & Marketing

Nearly 20 years after its establishment, Georgia Tech-Lorraine (GTL) in Metz, France, has enabled a major international collaboration between the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), one of the preeminent European research agencies, and Georgia Tech.

	Georgia Tech-Lorraine (GTL) in Metz, France, has enabled a major international collaboration between the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), one of the preeminent European research agencies, and Georgia Tech.

In 2006, CNRS and Georgia Tech created the International Mixed Unit (UMI) 2958, the first of its kind in France, allowing a mutually enriching collaboration between Tech and CNRS researchers in optics and secure communications, advanced materials and nanotechnology, and multifunctional materials.

“Within one year, state-of-the-art laboratories were built on the Metz campus, and today the UMI is the research engine of Georgia Tech-Lorraine,” said GTL Vice Provost and President Yves Berthelot, a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering. “This fosters the exchange of students, faculty and ideas that benefit the global Tech enterprise.”

A public research organization, CNRS is present in more than 1,200 research and service units, extending into all scientific, technological and societal domains in France. It is not only the largest governmental research organization in France, but is also the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.

“At the end of May, CNRS Director General Arnold Migus and Scientific Director Pierre Guillon will lead a delegation to Atlanta and sign an amendment to the 2006 agreement, opening an arm of UMI 2958 on this campus and extending the research collaboration to Computer Science,” said UMI Director Abdallah Ougazzaden, also a School of Electrical and Computer Engineering professor at GTL.

	The agreement creating the International Mixed Unit collaboration was formalized in 2006. It was attended by then-Provost Jean-Lou Chameau (third from left).

CNRS visiting scholars from the UMI will now have access to resources such as the MicroElectronic Research Center and the Marcus Nanotechnology Building. The UMI also enables Tech researchers to develop strategic opportunities, through CNRS and GTL, with major French and European Union institutions. The UMI has already attracted five major grants from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche in France, one European contract and several industrial contracts.

“The UMI has made significant progress in most of its research activities, in building state-of-the-art facilities, in contributing to the local, national and international programs and in establishing various alliances with academic and industrial partners,” said Ougazzaden. “We are very grateful for the support of Georgia Tech, CNRS and the local authorities of the Region Lorraine in creating an exceptional lab with international culture and a great opportunity for our scientists and students.”

“This extension of the GT-CNRS lab to Atlanta continues to build and expand the strong partnership between Tech and CNRS,” said Vice Provost for International Initiatives Steven McLaughlin. “Not only does it grow both of our research portfolios into new areas, but it continues to serve as a model for how strategic international research partners can both benefit from a project that cannot be done by either one individually.

“This is the model for all of our international initiatives and one that has proven successful time and again by GT-Lorraine.”

Established in 1990, GTL offers a year-round campus, with typical enrollment of 150 to 200 students per semester. It continues to receive strong financial support from French sources. More than 1,400 master’s degree students in mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science and 100 faculty members have spent at least one semester in Metz. More than 1,200 Tech alumni—primarily from France—now work in Europe. Some, Berthelot says, are in key positions.

In addition, nearly 1,000 undergraduate students have benefited from the Summer Program in Metz since it started in 1998, with 200 students scheduled to attend this summer. Berthelot points out that, in addition to expanding students’ exposures to European culture, students have also the opportunity to pursue a double master’s degree from Tech and leading partner institutions in France. Some students also have access to internships with GTL’s corporate sponsors.

“GTL carries the mark of excellence that characterizes Georgia Tech,” Berthelot said. “Tech’s reputation is growing in France and in Europe because of GTL and the UMI.”