Incorporating entrepreneurship into one’s education
Becoming an engineer and entrepreneur at Centrale Lyon
The general engineering programme enables students to undertake modules designed to help them set up and develop a business. Depending on the progress of the student’s career plans, they can enrol in various schemes:
- First-year study project: “Starting a Business” : 9 months to launch and develop an entrepreneurial project from start to finish.
- "Business Start-up" Application Project in the second year: in partnership with Campus Création, 6 months to launch and develop an entrepreneurial project from start to finish, culminating in a competition (1st prize €5,000, 5 prizes totalling €15,000).
- Elective module “ Entrepreneurship and Innovation” in the second year: an introductory course to entrepreneurship, with no commitment to a specific project.
- Career pathway “Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Engineer” throughout the third year: a long-term, year-long programme for students who wish to develop a project or gain experience in intrapreneurship within a company.
- Final-year project (TFE) “Business Start-up” at the end of the third year: the degree is awarded upon completion of a placement related to the student’s own entrepreneurial project.
These formats are not mandatory in combination: a student chooses the level of commitment suited to their project, ranging from a simple elective to the final-year project. In all cases, a student entrepreneurship coordinator, appointed by the school, approves the project and supports the student throughout their studies.
Can a student who is not enrolled on an engineering degree programme take entrepreneurship courses?
Students admitted to Centrale Lyon on Master’s or PhD programmes can benefit from courses dedicated to entrepreneurship, notably the ‘Intra/Entrepreneur Engineer’ programme and the sector-specific or discipline-specific ‘Entrepreneurship’ modules.
Enrolment is subject to dual approval: one from the institution’s Student Entrepreneurship Coordinator and the other from the head of the student’s own degree programme. This requirement is intended to assess the consistency of the project with the student’s main course of study.
Starting a business independently, outside the formal education system
An entrepreneurs’ hub on the Lyon-Écully campus
Nestled in the heart of the Lyon-Écully campus, the entrepreneurs’ space is reserved exclusively for those setting up or developing an entrepreneurial venture. With a floor area of 50 m², it is equipped with movable tables and chairs, movable whiteboards, a 65-inch monitor mounted on the wall and lockable storage units. The layout is designed for group work sessions rather than individual workstations.
This open-plan space is not reserved solely for students: it supports the entrepreneurial drive of researchers, lecturer-researchers and even young external start-ups. This space helps to foster daily exchanges and synergies between these groups.
Genius Centrale Lyon, the student society dedicated to entrepreneurship
Genius Centrale Lyon is theentrepreneurship and innovation society at Centrale Lyon. Its aim is to promote entrepreneurship within the school and to support students who wish to start their own businesses.
Every year, the association organises numerous events to inspire students: entrepreneurial after-work events, conferences, TEDxÉcole Centrale de Lyon, start-up weekends, learning trips, pitch competitions, hackathons and networking sessions.
The Start'up Challenge, the entrepreneurial competition organised by the Groupe des Écoles Centrales
The Start'up Challenge is a competition open to all students at the Groupe des Écoles Centrales (Paris, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, Méditerranée, Casablanca, Beijing), which recognises the most promising entrepreneurial projects.
The scheme pits project leaders from the group’s various schools against one another. For students, it is a real opportunity to present their project to an external jury, test its strength against other candidates, and gain visibility beyond the Lyon campus.
At the end of the competition, the three most compelling projects are awarded a grant of between €3,500 and €14,000 to develop their business, as well as expert advice from a jury comprising members of the alumni network.
Objectif Laboratoire, for deep-tech projects underpinned by research
Objectif Laboratoire is an initiative of the University Innovation Hub at the Lyon Saint-Étienne academic campus, of which Centrale Lyon is a member. It specifically targets projects with high scientific and technological potential, by linking them to a public research laboratory.
The programme is aimed at student entrepreneurs with an innovative project, whether or not that project already has a link with a laboratory: the aim is precisely to create this link if it does not yet exist. The support of a laboratory’s scientific expertise enhances the project’s credibility and competitiveness in the eyes of funders and in competitions.
