EURECOM is an engineering school based at Sophia Antipolis that specialises in three fields: cyber-security, communication systems and data science. In this interview the school’s director, David Gesbert, talks to us about the different projects it has worked on with EDHEC over the years and the way in which digital technology can be used to overcome current challenges.
 

What advantages are there for a business school and an engineering school to set up projects together (research, entrepreneurship and teaching)?

The idea at the outset was to set up joint research and teaching projects between our two schools. This was what prompted EDHEC to join the EURECOM consortium in 2021, when it became the group’s only business school member along with 10 prestigious European universities including TU Munich, Politecnico di Torino, NTNU, Aalto University and Institut Mines Telecom. The strategic partnership between the two was designed to pool EDHEC’s knowledge of business and finance, with EURECOM’s research expertise in the area of digital technology, particularly artificial intelligence and the internet of things.
 

The strong fit between our two schools led us to sign management-engineering double degree agreements. For example, students on EDHEC’s Master in Management programme can study on EURECOM’s engineering programme and vice-versa. Likewise, EDHEC Master in Management students can also obtain an MSc in Network and Telecommunications or an MSc in Computer Science from EURECOM. For their part, EURECOM students have the chance to round out their training by joining one of EDHEC’s four MScs: Finance, Corporate Finance & Banking, Financial Markets and International Accounting & Finance.
 

The partnership between our two schools has also fuelled collaboration between our researchers. For example, in February 2024 a EURECOM researcher, Motonobu Kanagawa, and an EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute researcher, Fangyuan Zhang, won the Chris Daykin prize from the International Actuarial Association for their work on the use of artificial intelligence for optimising pension scheme investment portfolios.
 

The partnership’s entrepreneurial aspect was cemented at the end of 2022 with the creation of TechForward, the start-up incubator run jointly by EDHEC, EURECOM and Institut Mines Télécom. This structure hosts start-ups geared to new technologies (Fintech, Healthtech, Greentech, networks of the future, connected mobility, cyber-security, e-commerce, etc.) and to dealing with contemporary social, environmental or societal issues.
 

To give start-up founders the best chances of success, we offer them comprehensive and customised support for creating their companies from EDHEC Entrepreneurs. We also give them access to EURECOM’s resources, including a network of professors/researchers comprising experts in cyber-security, data science, networks of the future and smart cities.

EDHEC Master in Management students can join one of the double degrees offered in partnership with EURECOM. What are the aims behind acquiring these double business-engineering skills?

With technology conditioning corporate strategies in the business world, these double degrees allow EDHEC students to acquire a solid platform of knowledge of the digital world and new technologies. The programmes tackle subjects as varied as IT systems, systems architecture, the fundamentals of AI and the internet of things. They therefore train managers capable of gauging the limits and possibilities of each technology – such as machine learning – in order to make correct business decisions that are aligned with contemporary challenges.

How do you ensure students and founders of start-ups incubated at TechForward focus on "tech for good"?

At EURECOM, to make students aware of the importance of using technology responsibly we arrange regular contributions from tech-for- good experts or from start-ups that have made “impact” central to their business. These contributors share their experience of best practices in terms of sustainable innovation and the efficient use of technology.

The support provided to TechForward incubees follows the same approach. We give entrepreneurs access to an extensive network of professors/researchers, alumni and EURECOM experts in order to guide them in integrating and developing the different aspects of responsibility within their company.