Campus : Cambridge and Sophia get closer

Two academic leaders of high technology in Europe, the Entrepreneurship Center of Cambridge University and the CERAM Sophia Antipolis have just signed a collaboration agreement around the entrepreneurial high tech partnership.

The Entrepreneurship Center of Cambridge University (CEC) in England and the CERAM Sophia Antipolis signed an academic collaboration agreement during the fourth Venture-Capital Summit which took place in Sophia Antipolis, on December 4th and 5th 2000. The objective of this agreement is specified in a press release. The aim is to 'create specific formations, real boot camps and multisite launching ramps, in order to help Europeans entrepreneurs to launch out their innovating companies and/or their entrepreneurial project in the high tech sector and to make them rise thanks to the shared combination of competences, experiences, and expert analysis of both of our institutions.'A Summer School in Cambridge in 2001Within the agreement several working lines and work volumes have been mentioned. Firstly : the creation of a pilot team composed of 12 people (6 CEC, 6 CERAM) working together on the implementation of teaching and research projects and activities. Secondly : the exchanges of professors for a knowledge transfer, a joined development of the content of teachings, a co-creation and a co-realization of course plans, etc…Thirdly : development of teachings and proposition of a range of internationally acknowledged high level joined programs which focus on the entrepreneurial partnership. In this range, are listed Summer Schools dedicated to entrepreneurs (the first one will take place during the summer 2001 in Cambridge with the teaching of modules by CERAM teachers), seminars ('Master Classes') on specific sets of themes, and 'Graduate' programs based on fundamental courses and issued by doctorands of different subjects.To form leaders of the Net-economyFourth collaboration line : the applied research on different projects. Thus, a comparison of behaviours of companies which are settled on Sophia Antipolis and Cambridge technopoles (the most advanced two technopoles in Europe) is envisaged; a work on different types of incubators. The fifth point of the agreement is the most classical one since it deals with exchanges of students.Within this bilateral agreement, the richness and the complementarity of all these activities which focus on the high-tech teaching and research should show in the middle term 'the best technologic management practices'. As well, they should allow to understand better and to control the growth of the Net Economy by contributing to create tomorrow's leader in this industry',so Peter Hiscocks for the Cambridge Entrepreneurship Center Tech and Michel Bernasconi for the CERAM Entrepreneurial High-Tech Chair conclude in a press release.