Rhythm of life

French people do most of their shopping in supermarkets, usually open from 9.00 am to 8.00 pm, from Monday to Saturday.

Specialty shops are open from 9.00 am (even 7.00 am for the bakeries) to 7.00 pm every day except on Sundays (often closed a part of the afternoon).

Many shops and historical monuments are closed on Mondays.

The museums are generally closed on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Banks are open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, from Monday to Friday. A few of them are open on Saturday, generally in the morning.

Meal times: breakfast (7.00 to 9.00 am), lunch (12.00 to 2.00 pm), dinner (7.00 to 10.00 pm).

Banking Services

Before leaving your home country check whether your bank has a partnership with a French network, it could make things easier. Otherwise, ask around the different banks close to your place of residence or to the School.
To open a bank account as non-resident, you should bring: your passport, residence permit (if applicable), proof of accommodation and proof of student status (student card or admission letter).

Ask for a cheque book ("chéquier" - most often free of charge) and a debit card ("carte bleue" - cost: from ~€30 onwards, depending on the bank).

Cheques are much in use to deal with administrative formalities in France.

For these formalities, you will also need "Relevé d’Identité Bancaire = RIB" (this is a paper slip bearing the bank logo that gives your account details, name, and the address of the bank). Ask for several "RIB".

Public transport

In Paris

In the Ile de France Region

In France (trains)

Catering

You can have access to student restaurants operated by the CROUS (called “RU”="Restaurant Universitaire").

A meal will cost ~ €3.25 (upon presentation of your student card).

Safety

It is advisable:

• To keep your passport (and visa/residence permit) in a safe place and keep photocopies separately.
• Not to carry around large amounts of cash. Rather use your bank card.

For all emergencies, dial: 112, it is free from any phone

An operator will redirect your call to the appropriate service (ambulance, police or fire service)

Telephone - Internet

4 major networks are operating in France: Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues, offering a wide range of prices and services, with subscription ("avec abonnement") or without subscription ("sans engagement").

There are many other providers for mobile phones (to compare options).

Pay-as-you-go ("prépayé") mobile phones can be bought in newsstands, post offices and supermarkets.

Post office

French postal services

Institutional collaborations

In 2017 the French-German Institute for the Industry of the Future was created in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The Institute offers training, research, and innovation in four key themes of the industry of the future: virtual and augmented reality, advanced production processes, production chain management, and robotics and cobotics.

Alliance with Texas A&M University (TAMU): a TEXAS A&M site is currently being developped at the Aix en Provence campus for materials and processes research activities (with joint research teams).

Alliance with the Universidad del Pais Vasco Bilbao (UPV Bilbao): creation of “Aenigme”, an international laboratory, which is managed scientifically by Arts et Métiers’ I2M laboratory and has an impact on all Arts et Métiers laboratories working on sustainable materials and processes.

Agreement with the China Scholarship Council (CSC): 24 PhD theses have been started since 2012 (six of which have been publicly defended) by Chinese PhD students at Arts et Métiers under this agreement.

Corporate Partnerships

Alliance with CEATech on the theme of additive manufacturing.

Alliance with the PSA Group, the second car and motorcycle manufacturer in Europe: through the Materials and Processes OPEN LAB, which studies innovative materials and efficient processes in order to develop vehicles of the future.

Founding member of the TEAM Henri Fabre Association alongside Airbus Helicopters and EDF. This association develops multithreaded enabling technologies in the field of materials and processes.

Participation in the Renault eco2 process centre for improving the energy efficiency of combustion engines.

Creation of a “smart industries” living lab with KUKA and CITC (Contactless Technologies Innovation Centre).

Research Chairs:

• BIOMECAM Chair: Proteor, Covea, and Société Générale
• Urban Mining Chair: Ecosystem
• Time To Concept Chair: Mannhummel
• “Reconfigurable, high-performance, safe production systems” Chair: Thyssenkrupp

Its scope is broad: providing technological diagnostics and engineering services, designing and conducting research and development activities, and guiding the transfer of acquired scientific knowledge towards its industrial application.

Scientific and technological excellence

The Carnot ARTS Institute  thus unites 20 laboratories with talent and material resources, making it a leading player in regional and national research. Due to the diversity and complementarity of its skills, the institute has a wide range of resources available to meet the ambitious demands of its collaborators.

Key figures

• 20 recognised research laboratories,
• 1,750 researchers,
• more than €20+ M of industrial contracts per year with approximately 1,000 contracts,
• a portfolio of more than 400+ patents
• 700+ publications per year.

The Carnot label

The incubator leverages the extensive expertise and resources available on the Arts et Métiers Paris campus – a prototyping workshop equipped with conventional and digital machining tools, an additive manufacturing workshop, research laboratories, and unique industrial expertise – to provide tailored support for the technical, industrial and business aspects of starting a company. 

With its strong focus on industry and sustainability, the Arts et Métiers Paris Campus incubator fully aligns with public policy aims to support strong, responsible reindustrialisation in France, taking into account human, social and environmental issues (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation Banque des Territoires; France relance; BPI France).

Key figures

Arts et Métiers Partners Companies

Two arrangements enable businesses to contribute to the ambitions of Arts et Métiers.

• Apprenticeship Tax: Companies select the higher education institution to which they allocate this annual tax, thereby contributing to the funding of apprenticeships and technological and professional training programs.

• Sponsorship: This mechanism supports various projects undertaken by the institution or its campuses to enhance training and research activities, such as:

  • The Evolutive Learning Factory
  • Diversity initiatives
  • The Business Incubator

  Sponsorship offers a tax deduction for companies: 60% of your donation is deductible from corporate tax, up to €20,000 or 0.5% of turnover. For instance, a €100,000 donation costs the company only €40,000 after deduction.

• For more information regarding a specific campus, please contact:
  Philippe Rouch, Director of Corporate Relations
  Email: entreprises@ensam.eu