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Innovation & Entrepreneurship at ISAE-SUPAERO

Our Innovation & Entrepreneurship policy

Last Updated On 04 August 2025

Committed to a dynamic of invention, it is with passion and commitment that we provide the keys for everyone to train, research, initiate, innovate and undertake!

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Policy (IE)

Our two service offers

ISAE-SUPAERO's "Innovation" service offering

The primary mission of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department (SIE) is to structure the Institute’s innovation services.

The service offering implemented mainly by the SIE breaks down into five major actions:

The awareness phase

Acculturate / Improve the dissemination of a culture of innovation
Introducing students, teachers and management staff to innovation and intrapreneurship
Ideation process
Communicate
Implementing an innovation strategy

The detection phase

Detect innovations in all the laboratories (process handled by the Business Department and the local SATT);
Identify ideas that can be developed;
Detect potential entrepreneurs;
Evaluate potential / entrepreneurial profiles (innovation challenges, CIP, interviews, COPIL).

The project evaluation, selection and orientation phase

Setting up evaluation criteria for projects/teams/business opportunities;
Analysing the impact of each project on the socio-economic environment;
Arbitration (COPIL Innovation).

The project structuring phase

Plan the stages and priorities of development in the short, medium and long term;
Identify the needs of each project/team;
Help with market identification;
Help with setting up a company (articles of association / registered office / accommodation);
Provide legal support and validate feasibility (PACTE law / Intellectual Property).

The incubation phase

Support from ideation to prototype: technology / business / communication / strategy
Stabilising the company from inception to market launch
Increasing technological and business maturity
Coaching
Provide access to the Institute's technical resources (agreement with the technical departments)
Prototype

ISAE-SUPAERO's "Entrepreneurship" service offer

The primary mission of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department (SIE) is to structure the Institute’s Entrepreneurship service offering.

The service offering implemented mainly by the SIE breaks down as follows:

Initial selection of projects

InnovSpace is aimed at start-ups and companies less than 3 years old. It is positioned upstream of incubators, accelerators and other players. The support package is designed to get start-ups off the ground.

Project leaders can apply throughout the year. Applications are processed on a confidential basis. Project leaders submit their application to the SIE team.

There are two possible scenarios:

Student projects

Project promoters contact the members of the SIE on their own initiative. A standard application form has been drawn up requiring a brief description of the projects. Project promoters submit their application to the EIS team.

The application is a standard document (see Appendix 1 - Application for support) which summarises the following elements: team, problem to be solved, project and summary business approach.

The SIE contacts the project owner(s) and proposes an initial interview. This interview serves to identify the entrepreneurial potential of the project owner(s), the relevance of the project and its economic potential.

The project promoter must present all or some of the following elements:

The team and human resources requirements (skills),
A clear and precise explanation of the project,
The legal characteristics of the company being interviewed,
The target market,
Potential future partners,
The competitive advantage,
The innovative nature of the project,
A preliminary view of the existing competition,
Traction, initial achievements,
Expectations of the incubation programme.

NB: No financial forecast is required at this stage.

Projects led by lecturer-researchers

For teacher-researchers, the entrepreneurial process is more complex, in particular because the detection process is not the responsibility of the SIE but of the ISAE-SUPAERO Business Office and the local SATT (Toulouse Tech Transfer - TTT) under a specific agreement.

An initial meeting between the project leader, the Business Department, the SIE and TTT is necessary in order to define the scope of the product to be developed and the terms and conditions of the development.

The SIE is involved in all matters relating to the implementation of the Loi Pacte (application to set up a company / participation in governance / scientific competition).

A process for applying this law has been set up by the SIE within ISAE-SUPAERO.

Before considering an entrepreneurial project, a teacher-researcher must make an official request to the Institute's Director General in order to comply with the legal conditions of the Loi Pacte (in particular, the development of his or her product must precede his or her request to participate in a company / scientific competition).

An official request, set up by the SIE, has been created for this purpose (see Appendix 2). This application is used to assess the relevance of the project and the action to be taken.

A summary business plan is required for teacher-researchers; this should make it possible to assess the viability of the project, the strategic vision of the entrepreneur and the interest for the institution in authorising the applicant to be made available.

Evaluation, guidance and selection of projects

In order to check the eligibility of the project, two assessments – technological and economic – are carried out by the members of the SIE, in liaison with the technical departments of ISAE-SUPAERO and external consultants if necessary for the economic part.

An initial filter (“first interview”) is carried out by the SIE; if the project is deemed irrelevant, it is not retained for incubation without further reference.

If the project is validated (“first selection”), the project leaders then present their project to the Innovation Steering Committee (“second interview”), which makes a decision on incubation at InnovSpace.

In the event of a favourable response, the project promoters then sign the following documents in succession with the establishment:

A domiciliation authorisation, depending on the needs of the project leader;
A temporary occupancy agreement between the Director General of ISAE-SUPAERO and the start-up once it has been created;
An incubation agreement with the SIE.

A distinction is made between domiciliation and accommodation. Given the upstream nature of the projects, the Institute systematically offers start-ups domiciliation (assistance with the creation of the company by providing a postal address within ISAE-SUPAERO).

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department (SIE)

At ISAE-SUPAERO, the ” innovation and entrepreneurship ” department helps students, alumni and ISAE-SUPAERO staff to carry out their projects, particularly during the “upstream” phase. This key stage involves formalising the idea, drawing up an action plan and seeking funding.

The aim of this service is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skills among students and staff, and to encourage the creation of businesses by members of the Institute’s community, particularly start-ups in the Aeronautics, Space and Defence (ASD) sector and impact start-ups.

It plays a part in the innovation dynamic of the aeronautics industry and the Occitan region by offering those involved access to knowledge (technology transfer), knowledgeable people (experts, trainees) and access to research and testing facilities.

A permanent link is maintained between the research departments and the SIE, both for the detection phase, the development phase and the provision of technological expertise (initial feasibility study of projects proposed for incubation). In addition, the SIE benefits from the services of an innovation lecturer (a recently recruited full-time multientrepreneur), as well as a 3D design engineer dedicated to innovation.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department is responsible for :

create an entrepreneurial dynamic by developing an entrepreneurial mindset and skills among students and staff, and by encouraging the creation of businesses by members of the Institute’s community, in particular deep-tech start-ups in the aeronautics, space and defence sector,

to contribute to the innovation dynamic of the socio-economic fabric in which the Institute is embedded (aerospace industry, Occitan region) by offering its players, particularly start-ups and SMEs, access to knowledge (technology transfer), expertise (trainees, scientific experts) or scientific and technical resources (research and testing facilities),

managing the InnovSpace, the Fablab and the Institute’s incubator.

François du Cluzel

Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

ddi.ie@isae.fr

Laurent Lacheny

Deputy Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department

ddi.ie@isae.fr

Innovation management and control bodies

The Innovation Council

This is a strategic forum for exchange and forward thinking with leading figures in the field of innovation (private/public companies).

Its mission is to :

Inform and guide the Institute’s actions in the field of innovation;
Examine the annual report on innovation and entrepreneurship support activities;
Issue opinions on issues submitted by the Chief Executive Officer.

It examines the annual report on innovation and entrepreneurship support activities. It gives its opinion on any question submitted to it by the Institute’s Managing Director.

The Innovation Steering Committee

Chaired by the Institute’s Deputy Director, this committee coordinates all innovation activities.

It meets quarterly and brings together the directors of the Research and Teaching Resources Department, the Development and Innovation Department and the Training Department.

Our EI policy in detail

Incubation methods

The incubation programme enables incubatees to benefit from :

Longitudinal support (personalised support from before the company is set up, for a maximum period of three years) from an experienced team with a variety of profiles, including a support manager as the main contact for students and a business manager for lecturers;
Access to an acceleration programme consisting of individual and group training courses and events (workshops led by external experts, industrialists, alumni, networking events and conferences);
Turnkey, standardised accommodation in an 800 m² environment with private offices, open-plan offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, a social area and a cafeteria;

A community of entrepreneurs from ISAE-SUPAERO to share experience and exchange best practice;
Privileged access to a very dense aeronautics, space and defence ecosystem and to numerous players, public research institutions, French and European investors and expert partners (French Tech / Aerospace Valley / Réseau Curie / AD’OCC / PAD’OCC / Lanceur d’étoiles);
Prototyping support for deep-tech start-ups using the resources of the Fablab and ISAE-SUPAERO laboratories;
Access to internal funding via the Foundation’s grants (Jeunes Pousses Entrepreneuriat grants, i.e. up to 4 annual grants of €3,500 each), internal funding from ISAE-SUPAERO (Extracurricular Committee), the Lopez-Loreta Foundation prize (annual prize of €1 million).

Accommodation and domiciliation

Domiciliation is a service provided free of charge to project initiators before they set up a business, to enable them to have a postal address at which to set up their business. The domiciliation is renewable annually after the company has left the incubator.

Accommodation is provided under a temporary occupation permit (AOT) for a period of one year, tacitly renewable twice, for a maximum of three years.

The following services are offered:

Permanent access to the Fablab;
Start-up space with tables, chairs, cupboards, computer screens, minimal office equipment;
Wifi, ISAE-SUPAERO Internet address;
Relaxation room;
Free access to printers;
1 meeting room dedicated to start-ups;
Access to the Institute's technical and sports facilities;
PC with business software (3D design).

Longitudinal monitoring

Longitudinal monitoring and the support programme complement each other and operate in parallel.

Longitudinal monitoring involves mapping the development of entrepreneurial projects from the idea stage through to the end of the incubator.

Its purpose is firstly to collect the individual and collective needs of each of the projects and teams, and then to put in place an ad hoc joint (training/workshops/conferences) and individual (one-to-one support) support programme.

A comparison is systematically made between the initial measure, the intermediate measures and the final measure.

The measurement is carried out mainly on three dimensions:

Team: company culture, distribution of roles, values, willingness to do things, multidisciplinarity;
Project: type of company, field of activity, development strategy, experience, skills, technology, impact/responsible innovation;
Business: organisation, financial resources, market approach, business model.

The acceleration programme

The support programme is tailor-made for each start-up, based on the longitudinal assessment and the expression of needs that emerge from each interview.

The programme is complemented by events ("InnoEvents") that include conferences and feedback from Deep tech entrepreneurs.

Individual support

As part of the individual support package, each start-up will be given time off to work on demand. This involves individualised follow-up coaching with a mentor teacher and/or follow-up coaching by mentors, players or specialists in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Group support

As part of collective support, start-ups benefit from educational sessions in the form of workshops to acquire the common technical bases required to set up a business start-up or takeover project and assistance with prototyping for those who require it.

Why should you be interested in setting up your own business? Because it's a way of revealing your potential, realising a dream, or solving a problem that has no solution. Setting up a business involves a phase of questioning and exploration. The potential entrepreneur starts with an idea that is more or less precise, but:

Are there really interested customers?
What characteristics should the product or service have?
How do we position ourselves in relation to the competition?
How can the necessary technical, financial and human resources
resources?
Who are the partners?

The Fondation ISAE-SUPAERO's Young Start-up Grants, funded by Jean L. Lamy, help finance this upstream phase!

Who can apply?

All engineering students (including sandwich engineers), Masters, Advanced Masters® and PhD students. Team applications are also welcome.

Preference will be given to projects in the fields of Aeronautics, Space, Defence and Impact.

Amount of the grants

In 2025, there will be 6 grants (maximum 4 per session) of €3,500 each, paid as follows:

2,000€ at the end of the selection panel, after signing a letter of commitment,
1,500 at the end of the project, after submission and acceptance of the final report.

For more information on how to apply for the Jeunes pousses grants.

Are you an innovative company based in Occitanie? Are you setting up a new business or have you been in business for less than three years? Are you looking to finance your project?

Finance your innovation and strengthen your equity capital in Occitanie!

The Créalia innovation loan is a zero-interest loan.

For innovative start-ups, a zero-interest innovation loan can be particularly useful, as it helps to finance high-risk projects and innovative ideas that may not be eligible for traditional loans.

It can also help innovative start-ups raise additional funds from investors.

Important! It is a loan granted to the individual (i.e. "you"), which ultimately strengthens the company's equity capital.

Eligibility criteria

You have a business project with potential based in the Occitanie region.
Your company is less than
3 years* of existence.(5 years for Deeptech).
Your project has been pre-validated by a support structure.
Your project is genuinely innovative.

Find out more about the Créalia innovation loan!

Each year, the Jean-Jacques and Felicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation encourages students from four European public higher education institutions, including ISAE-SUPAERO, to carry out an innovative and highly promising project. The project can be either academic or entrepreneurial. The prize is one million euros!

The schools are:

ISAE-SUPAERO,
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Zurich,
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne,
École Polytechnique Paris-Saclay.

Application criteria

Hold an ISAE-SUPAERO degree (Bachelor, Engineer, Master, Doctor) less than 2 years old, as of 13 May 2024.

Applications are personal and must be sent to: prix.lopez-loreta@isae-supaero.fr with a copy to charlotte.sartor@isae-supaero.fr and the subject line "Application for the Lopez-Loreta Foundation Prize 2025 edition". A pre-file must be attached and sent as a single PDF file before Thursday 26 September 2024.

Timetable

Thursday 26 September 2024: deadline for sending applications to ISAE-SUPAERO.
Wednesday 30 October 2024: pre-selected applications sent by ISAE-SUPAERO to the Jean-Jacques and Félicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation.
December 2024: communication by the Jean-Jacques and Félicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation of the pre-files considered eligible.
Thursday 16 January 2025: in the event of selection by the Jean-Jacques and Félicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation, a complete dossier of the final project must be prepared for transmission to ISAE-SUPARO by 16 January 2025. This dossier will then be finalised with the support of ISAE-SUPAERO, the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation and the ISAE SUPAERO ENSICA Alumni Association before the final dossier is sent to the Jean-Jacques and Félicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation.
Friday 14 February 2025: submission of the final projects by ISAE-SUPAERO to the Jean-Jacques and Félicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation.
By 25 April 2025 at the latest: invitation to oral hearings.
May 2025: proposal of oral training session to candidates selected by ISAE-SUPAERO.
No later than 31 May 2025: audition of successful candidates.
No later than 30 June 2025: decision by the Laureates 2025 Foundation Board.

Pre-application format

This pre-file :

contain a description of the project, together with the candidate's CV and a copy of university diplomas,
be, and the final projects will be, written in French or English (but if it is written in English, a French translation must be attached), and submitted in PDF format only,
include a cover page with the applicant's contact details, the name of the University, the name of the project and the name of the host institution for each pre-file and final file.
The applicant must be the initiator of the project.
The project must have been initiated within the submitting University. In practice, however, it may be carried out and developed at a university of the applicant's choice in the interests of the project, regardless of its geographical location.
Parallel" degrees such as "Executive Masters" or equivalent are not accepted.
Applicants are not permitted to submit a project more than once.
Preference for translational research.
Entrepreneurial projects must be in "genesis". This means that the Foundation, in accordance with the Articles of Association, does not aim to reward advanced projects for which the applicant (or the structure they have created to carry out their project, such as a start-up) would need financing, support and/or fund-raising in order to relaunch their project.

As a reminder, the Foundation's Articles of Association stipulate that projects must be of an entrepreneurial, scientific, academic, ecological or humanitarian nature.

The Foundation Board will not provide any justification for rejected applications.

Regulations

The rules of the Lopez-Loreta Foundation are available on its website.

Would you like to launch a deeptech innovation project requiring a maturation phase and technical and economic validation?

The French Tech Emergence grant enables you to finance part of the internal and external costs associated with your deeptech project.

To qualify, you must present a project with a high technological content, qualified according to the current Bpifrance Deeptech guidelines.

Who is eligible?

Small businesses registered in France for less than a year.

Terms and conditions

Please note: No expenditure incurred prior to the date on which the application for assistance is submitted may be accepted.

This aid can cover up to 50% of eligible expenditure and, depending on the category of business, up to 70%.

The aid is paid in two instalments: the first on signature of the contract and after any suspensive clauses have been lifted, and the balance on completion of the work after Bpifranc has been provided with an end-of-programme report and a summary statement of expenses paid.

Amount

Aid in the form of a grant of up to €90,000 subject to conditions.

Duration

Programme lasting a maximum of 12 months, which may be extended to 18 months subject to conditions.

Find out more about BPI France's French Tech Emergence grants.

The Region supports the first market access of innovation projects serving transformations, led by young innovative companies.

The projects submitted must meet at least one of the following criteria:

bring about a real technological leap for the company ;
enable the development of a new product, solution, service, new process or new organisation, leading the company to develop and integrate new technological skills and know-how, develop its fixed assets or significantly transform its production processes;
fall within strategic areas and present technological or usage barriers;
take an innovative approach that incorporates the challenges of the circular economy, eco-design, adaptation to climate change, protection of biodiversity, low tech, etc. into their products, processes and services;
develop innovative responses to social and environmental needs by bringing together the players involved (in the fields of energy, the environment, health, food, mobility, housing, local industries, etc.).

Who should apply?

Young companies less than 8 years old carrying out technological innovation projects :

have received public funding for innovation or are being supported by an incubator or SATT ;
AND working regularly with a regional research laboratory;
AND fall within the structured or emerging sectors identified by the SRI.

Find out more about the Region's financial aid.

As part of its new regional strategy for higher education, research and innovation (SRESRI 2022-2028), the Region has decided to provide particularly strong support for the "higher education - research - innovation" continuum. This continuum is essential to the dynamic development of businesses in our region, by promoting regional scientific excellence.

The aim of the "Proof of Concept" scheme is to accelerate innovation and encourage its transfer to the socio-economic world, by raising the level of maturity of the results of research.

Public scientific and technological establishments, research bodies, universities, private establishments responsible for public service missions under agreement with the State and whose research is evaluated by the HCERES, public industrial or commercial establishments and Technology Transfer Acceleration Companies (SATT) are eligible under this call for projects.

Amount

The Region's grant will be capped at 75% of eligible expenditure.
The maximum amount of the regional grant is €120,000.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

Innovative and strategic nature of the project on a regional and national scale, validated by an Occitanie player in technology transfer (such as the SATT) and/or an Occitanie University Innovation Cluster.
The scientific leader belongs to a research unit established/located in Occitanie
Projects based on existing experimental results with a maturity level of at least 4 (TRL or SRL scale).
Presence of partnerships and/or prospects for applications: protection of results/formalised IP agreement, economic potential/industrial application of the technology via a technology transfer to an existing company or via the creation of a JEI or start-up.
18-month project duration
Identification of technological locks and unlocking keys during the maturation programme

Application procedures

On an ongoing basis.

Applications for support must be submitted online via the Mes aides en ligne web platform at least 3 months before the start date of the proof-of-concept programme. The start date of the operation will be indicated by the scientific sponsor in the final application.

Find out more about the Region's financial aid.

PÉPITE ÉCRIN, the regional centre for promoting and supporting student entrepreneurship, is here to help you.

Are you a student or higher education graduate with an entrepreneurial project?

Pépite ÉCRIN offers support through two pathways to open you up to new opportunities, satisfy your curiosity and enable you to discover, train and turn your ideas and projects around entrepreneurship into reality!

The 27th i-Lab Innovation Contest, part of the France 2030 plan and run by Bpifrance, aims to identify projects to set up innovative technology companies and support the best of them with financial assistance and tailored support.

Who can enter?

Any individual who has set up their own business within the last two years, or who is planning to set up an innovative technology company in France, regardless of their nationality, status or professional situation, provided they meet the legal and regulatory requirements for setting up a company, may enter the competition.

What type of project should be submitted?

Creation-development" projects can be submitted if they are technically, economically and legally feasible and can lead, in the short term, to the creation of a company or innovation projects carried out by companies that are less than two years old.

Selection criteria

Projects submitted for the competition are assessed on the basis of their human, technological, legal, intellectual property, financial and commercial potential.

Projects are selected on the basis of the following main criteria:

Innovative nature of the technology and established proof of concept;
Economic viability of the project;
Significant potential for development and value creation, including internationally;
Motivation, availability and ability of the applicant to create and develop a company, lead a team and forge partnerships;
The candidate's ability to get involved in the project;
Quality and complementarity of the team;
Control of intellectual property and third-party rights (particularly freedom to operate);
Environmental impact of the project ;
Societal impact of the project;
Integration of sustainability criteria into the design and implementation of the project.

Financing

Eligible expenses, up to a maximum of €1m, are personnel, operating or equipment expenses (depreciable value of the equipment over the duration of the financial support) directly linked to the research and development programme of the company created: project design and definition, intellectual property, market studies, feasibility studies, partner search, experimentation, development of new or improved products, processes or services, production and development of prototypes, mock-ups or pilots, consultancy, training and support services.
Funding takes the form of a grant of up to €600k.

How do I apply?

The rules of the competition and the application form, a model of which is compulsory, can be downloaded from the "Documents to download" section at the top right-hand corner of this website. Documents must be submitted exclusively online via the Bpifrance submission platform: Picxel.

Deadline for submission: 11 March 2025 at 12 noon (Paris time).

i-PhD is a government innovation competition run by Bpifrance aimed at young researchers with a project to set up a company based on their research work.

Who can enter and what kind of project?

The competition is a precursor to the i-Lab and i-Nov innovation competitions, and is reserved for young doctors who wish to study a project to create a deeptech start-up based on their research work.

The"Young Doctor" category is open to all doctoral students in the second year of their thesis or those who have completed their thesis within the last five years,
"Startup deeptech" is for projects to create companies based on research work. The expected projects are supported in their development by OTTs (Technology Transfer Organisations) or public research incubators (list available here). OTTs include organisations such as SATT (Sociétés d'Accélération du Transfert de Technologies) and national research bodies. Any young researcher wishing to apply to the i-PhD competition can contact Bpifrance if they need help in identifying the OTT to which they belong (at the following address i-phd@bpifrance.fr ).

How are the winners selected?

An initial eligibility review is carried out after the call for applications closes.

Eligible applications are then forwarded to the members of the i-PhD competition jury, made up of entrepreneurs, start-up investment and support professionals, and people from the world of research.

The members of the jury can then discuss their ideas with the candidates during the oral phase of the i-PhD competition.

The assessment of the candidates will take into account the young doctor's entrepreneurial motivation, the deeptech start-up potential and the environmental impact of the project.

What are the prizes?

The winners of the i-PhD competition receive a support programme combining individual and group coaching sessions, Learning Expeditions and an insight into the deeptech ecosystem.

They also benefit from visibility for their projects and integration into the national network of winners of innovation competitions.

There is no cash component to the prize, or even financial compensation if the winner does not wish to benefit from the prize.

How do I apply?

Applications are accepted until 16 May 2025, 23:59, on the dedicated application platform on the Démarches Simplifiées website.

The challenges facing the aerospace industry (energy transition, New Space, digitalization) are driving a growing need for professionals with the ability to innovate.

Against this backdrop, Safran and ISAE-SUPAERO are creating the Innovating in a World in Transition Chair.

Start date: September 2024
Partner: Safran

Combine the technical and methodological skills of engineers with the know-how that is essential for innovation (creativity, teamwork, customer approach, etc.) to enable them to become true agents of change.

This chair is based on three pillars:

Training: two excellence scholarships are awarded each year to promising young professionals so that they can join the Advanced Master® in Innovation Entrepreneurship & Management (MS IEM). Support is also provided for teaching experiments, study trips for students and support for the hosting and international mobility of professors, researchers and innovation experts,
Coaching: helping young entrepreneurs to get in touch with leading experts through a series of conferences and workshops,
Start-up: two start-up and life grants for young graduates. Thanks to these grants, project leaders incubated in ISAE-SUPAERO's InnovSpace will be able to develop their project and join the Advanced Master® in Innovation Entrepreneurship & Management.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are key drivers of competitiveness and economic performance. That’s why ISAE-SUPAERO, the aeronautics and space engineering school, is committed to raising awareness among its students and enabling those who wish to do so to develop their entrepreneurial skills through a tailored training programme.