ESTACA inaugurates its new campus in Bordeaux
ESTACA, a post-baccalaureate engineering school and major European school specialising in sustainable mobility, has announced the opening of its 3rd campus in Bordeaux (following Paris and Laval). The School already has 65 students enrolled in third year (first year of the engineering cycle) for the start of the 2022 school year. It is setting up in a strategic region anchoring in the heart of France’s 3rd largest job pool for aeronautics and space and a region which is a pioneer in the field of new mobility. This will help students and researchers to access companies in the New Aquitaine region.
At the inauguration ceremony on 12 October 2022, Alain Rousset, President of the Regional Council of New Aquitaine, announced the location of the future ESTACA Bordeaux building, to be built on land currently occupied by the Condorcet centre, next to the University of Bordeaux in Pessac. This strategic location means ESTACA will be located in the heart of a university campus with all the infrastructure needed by students (accommodation, canteen, public transport, etc.) but also a site geared towards technological innovation bringing together start-ups and other innovative companies.
A dynamic training programme eagerly awaited by industry in a future-looking region
At the end of 2021, the CTI (Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur) favourably granted accreditation of the engineering degree to ESTACA for the opening of its programme at the new Bordeaux campus. At the start of the 2022 academic year, the school will open the 3rd year aeronautics course with 65 students enrolled. ESTACA projects a gradual increase in student numbers with the opening of 4th year in 2023 and 5th year in 2024 to reach 200 students within 2 years.
For the first three years, ESTACA will be temporarily housed in the premises of the ENSAM (Ecole Nationale des Arts et Métiers) on the Bordeaux-Talence campus, a vast university campus with over 65,000 students and 5,000 researchers. The School plans to build a special building to move in finally in September 2025 and will then offer training over 5 years and in various domains.
The Nouvelle Acquitaine is the third largest region in France in the aeronautics and space sector, accounting for nearly 16% of activity in France and including many of ESTACA’s industrial partners. It also brings together many companies working to meet the challenges of the new mobility sector. ESTACA intends to make a lasting contribution to the development of academic programmes and the economy of the region. Its students, teachers and researchers, infrastructure and technological resources will be available to major groups, SMEs, local authorities and research institutions located here.
Support from the Nouvelle Aquitaine region
The Nouvelle Aquitaine Region actively supports the arrival of ESTACA and its future development. The Region has provided an investment grant (fitting out work) for ESTACA’s temporary premises at the ENSAM in Talence (75,000 euros at the Permanent Commission of 17 May 2021, which was increased to 163,692 euros at the Permanent Commission in March 2022). The total grant amounts to 272,820 euros, financed 60% by the Region (163,692 euros) and 40% by the ESTACA association (109,128 euros).
The future ESTACA Bordeaux building will be built on a 60,000 m2 plot of land belonging to the Region, currently occupied by the Condorcet centre. Next to the University of Bordeaux in Pessac, this location offers real quality of student life on the university campus. The goal of the Region is to create a technological city bringing together a range of innovative organisations, including ESTACA. The School will be located right at the heart of innovation to develop collaborations around sustainable transport for its training and research activities.
