On August 28, 2025, during a Franco-German seminar on the circular economy held at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux-Talence, the Franco-German GENIUS chair was officially launched. The chair is jointly supported by Arts et Métiers the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), with the backing of the Franco-German University (UFA).
Paul Stief, senior lecturer at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Metz and scientific director of the Genius chair; Udo Thelen, Secretary General of the Franco-German University; Jean-Rémy Chardonnet, deputy director of the Arts et Métiers institute Arts et Métiers Chalon-sur-Saône, co-head of the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future and co-leader of the Genius Chair; Volker Schulze, professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, co-director of the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future and co-holder of the Genius Chair; Ivan Iordanoff, Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation atArts et Métiers Thomas Hirth, Vice President for International Affairs and Innovation at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Strategic cooperation for a sustainable European industry
The Franco-German GENIUS (Next Generation Industry) teaching and research chair, run by Arts et Métiers the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with the support of the Franco-German University (UFA), aims to promote the development of tomorrow's industry in Europe towards a more sustainable and resilient model.
As part of the the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future, a strategic partnership agreement resulting in nearly 30 years of academic cooperation and 10 years of scientific collaboration between the two institutions, GENIUS is building a joint dynamic in the areas of engineering education, applied research, and pedagogical innovation.
"The new chair at the interface of design and manufacturing will take the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future to the next level, bringing these two absolutely essential disciplines much closer together than before," explains Volker Schulze, professor at KIT, co-director of the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future, and co-holder of the chair.
Launched on August 28, 2025, in Bordeaux as part of a Franco-German seminar on the circular economy, the four-year chair will receive €150,000 in funding over three years from the UFA, supplemented by local authorities (Grand Est, Moselle, Eurométropole de Metz). Its work focuses on four strategic areas involving severalArts et Métiers KIT laboratories, including the Bordeaux Institute of Mechanics and Engineering (I2M / Arts et Métiers, CNRS, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, INRAE):
- collaborative design and virtual validation using immersive technologies
- advanced manufacturing processes, remanufacturing, and recycling
- optimization and reconfiguration of production systems
- the circular economy
The goal is to control the entire life cycle of industrial products, from design to recycling, while integrating performance, quality, and sustainability requirements.
A European ambition for the industry of the future
Through the GENIUS Chair, Arts et Métiers KIT are affirming their shared commitment to training a new generation of engineers and researchers capable of designing, managing, and transforming industrial systems in the face of major contemporary challenges: ecological transition, production chain resilience, technological sovereignty, and digital transformation.
"With GENIUS, we are consolidating a strategic Franco-German alliance to prepare industry for the challenges of the 21st century. By combining our academic and industrial expertise, we want to train a new generation of engineers capable of thinking and acting sustainably, serving local communities and, more broadly, Europe," " explains Jean-Rémy Chardonnet, Deputy Director of the Institut Arts et Métiers Chalon-sur-Saône, co-head of the Franco-German Institute for the Industry of the Future (Arts et Métiers) and co-holder of the chair.
In concrete terms, the chair is based on the development of jointly supervised doctoral theses within the framework of the Franco-German Doctoral College CDFA 03-19 and the support of the Franco-German University (UFA), fully integrating the challenges of circularity and industrial performance.
"The UFA is proud to contribute, through its support for the Franco-German GENIUS chair, to the promotion of sustainable industrial production in Europe, at the crossroads of higher education and cutting-edge technological research. We are delighted with this fruitful collaboration with Arts et Métiers KIT," emphasizes Udo Thelen, Secretary General of the Franco-German University.
It also offers innovative educational tools focused on user experience and immersive technologies, to develop new advanced manufacturing and production processes for a European industry that is both competitive and responsible.
