Building on a shared history spanning nearly 40 years, General Electric and the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard are strengthening their relationship through the creation of an industry-academia chair.
By combining the resources of both institutions, this initiative aims to:
• strengthen the development of educational content closely aligned with industry;
• highlight the company’s involvement in engineering education;
• strengthen apprenticeship and hiring programs in the industrial region;
• foster the incubation of transformative projects, such as hydrogen energy, digital technology, and the factory of the future.
This close collaboration stems from a shared history that began in 1980 in the field of surface treatment for gas turbine blades. Nearly 40 part-time instructors from the company regularly teach courses and supervise projects for UTBM students. In addition, GE representatives participate in the university’s activities by serving on its strategic governing bodies. GE has hosted about 100 UTBM interns over the past five years, and more than 10% of the engineering apprentice class (33 people) is currently completing their apprenticeship at GE.
Today, more than 200 UTBM alumni are employed by GE in France and serve as ambassadors for the school within the company.
