India-France: Ecole Polytechnique signs agreements with two IITs

New Delhi, Oct 12: A leading academic institution in France has signed "specific agreements" with two IITs to foster a deeper exchange of knowledge between the two countries.

The agreements were signed during the visit of President and Director General of Ecole Polytechnique, Laura Chaubard, to India during October 7-11, the French Embassy said on Friday.

Ecole Polytechnique was founded in 1794 with the aim of providing the country with engineers trained to the highest level, it said in a statement.

"Today, it is a leading higher education institution globally, which combines high-level research, education and innovation at the cutting-edge of science and technology and promotes a culture of excellence, and upholds a long- standing humanist tradition," the embassy said.

Ecole Polytechnique has signed specific agreements with both IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay, the statement said.

During the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in July 2023 on the occasion of the French National Day, Institut Polytechnique de Paris signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras, it said.

"Based on these agreements, Ecole Polytechnique reinforced its relationship with IIT-Delhi, and explored collaboration with IIT Bombay, and signed specific agreements with the two institutions on the occasion of this visit," the statement said.

Discussions are also underway with IISc-Bangalore for which topics of common interest on research and educational cooperation have been identified, the embassy added in its statement.

Chaubard interacted with a group of media at the embassy on Friday and spoke of the collaboration.

"By engaging with the IITs, we are not only enhancing our academic environment, but also contributing to the global research landscape," she said.

On her visit to India, Chaubard said she realised that the domains of excellence shared between the institutions were remarkably close.

Part of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which includes six prestigious French engineering colleges, Ecole Polytechnique ranks 46th in the QS 2025 ranking and 71st in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, the statement said.

Ecole Polytechnique hosts about 80 Indian students on its campus. Its strategy of forging closer links with the best Indian universities is designed to open its doors even wider to the best Indian students, it added.