Air Liquide first industrial partner of the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble

Air Liquide advanced Business & Technologies and the Fondation de l’Université Grenoble Alpes announce the signature of a sponsorship benefiting the CSUG – the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble – inaugurated in September 2015 by the UGA (Université Grenoble Alpes) and Grenoble INP.

Committed for more than 50 years to the space adventure and squarely focused on developing the field, it is only natural that Air Liquide and the team at the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble – which welcomed its first graduating class of students last September – have forged ties.

The innovative sponsorship established between Air Liquide and the Fondation de l’Université Grenoble Alpes is based on the availability of installations and equipments (testing facilities, clean rooms, etc.) as well as competencies (qualified personnel support, particularly in the space field), completed by a cash contribution.

The Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble (CSUG) aims to develop and build innovative nano-satellites through collaboration involving students, industrial businesses and scientists from around the world. Its first mission is the fruit of a collaboration between the Université Joseph Fourier, which is now an integral part of the UGA, and the MIET ⁽¹⁾ of Zelenograd (a suburb of Moscow, in Russia),

Undergoing rapid expansion, the miniaturized space market offers the prospect of multiplying the capacity for observation by reducing costs, whether these costs are related to the construction of nano-satellites, the launch phases, or the actual putting into orbit.

The emergence of nano-satellites is also leading to the development of the innovative technologies required by the miniaturization of components, whether for the satellite itself or for onboard scientific instruments. The expertise developed in Isère by major industrial players, particularly in the area of miniaturized components, will allow students to train for the particularly demanding careers the space industry offers.

Patrick Lévy, Chairman of the Fondation Université Grenoble Alpes and Chairman of the ComUE UGA ⁽²⁾, commented: 

“Thanks to this partnership with Air Liquide, a recognized player in the space industry, our students will benefit from exceptional resources and support: they are going to be able to study as closely as possible to the realities of the business world. A partnership like this demonstrates the strength of territorial logic. The Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble, by deploying action-based learning, and by bringing together students from different horizons to collaborate on an ambitious project at the heart of innovation and in an international framework is fully consistent with the principles of IDEX.”

Pierre Etienne Franc, Vice President, Air Liquide advanced Business and Technologies, commented:

“This partnership with the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Grenoble represents an excellent opportunity for our Group to be as close as possible to the education of the young people who will become our collaborators or partners of tomorrow. It will also be a source of inspiration in connection with the development of new technologies that pave the way to new economic models. A historic partner of the space adventure, Air Liquide innovates constantly to consolidate and enlarge its offering, both for the space programs of today and tomorrow and for orbital systems.”

⁽¹⁾ The MIET is a university located in Zelenograd (Russia) specializing in micro-electronics for space.

⁽²⁾ ComUE UGA: Communauté d’Universités et d’Etablissements de l’Université Grenoble Alpes