On May 22, the students from the second promotion of the Thales Academia programme were invited to the Thales Research and Technology Centre in Palaiseau, France for a private visit of the laboratories.

Welcomed by Bertrand Demotes-Mainard, director of TRT, the students were first given a presentation about the activities conducted at the Research Centre and also met a variety of researchers.

The students then had the opportunity to visit various laboratories in the centre, including Chemical Detection, FIB Focus Ion Beams, UMR Spintronic and Theresis. The visit concluded with presentations concerning the diverse technologies and developing research at TRT.

During the visit, the students were accompanied by some of their tutors, with whom they discussed the research conducted at Thales.

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Philippe Faure, secretary general for the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, officially welcomed the beneficiaries of the Thales Academia programme in the presence of Denis Ranque.
On 13 November, the 48 Chinese, Indian, and Russian Thales Academia scholarship recipients were given an official welcome at the Quai d'Orsay, in the company of their mentors and representatives from partner establishments.

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Thales pledged its support for the “Sci Tech Girls” programme launched at the third Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, held in Deauville, France, on 11-13 October.
Supported by several other major companies, including L’Oréal, Orange, Cisco, Suez and Total, the Sci Tech Girls programme is aimed at encouraging young women to pursue scientific and technical courses of study.
The Sci Tech Girls daylong workshop held on 12 October brought together one hundred young women from high schools, preparatory classes to French Grandes Ecoles, engineering schools and universities. Seven of these women are currently studying in France as part of the Thales Academia. programme.
Through a series of discussions, debates and conferences, the young women were introduced to several international speakers working in sciences and technology, all of whom are recognised for their outstanding academic or professional achievements. Among them, Brigitte Bouquot, vice president Marketing & Sales France, Security Systems, part of Thales’s Security Solutions & Services Division, and Cécile Dubrovin, Programmes Manager at Thales Electron Devices, France, who contributed by describing their professional experience and careers at Thales.

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On Friday June 22, grant-holder students from Thales Academia and students from prestigious French schools chosen by "Forum Opportunités", visited the Paris Air Show. They took a tour around the Thales and Thales Alenia Space pavilions, and then enjoyed a nice lunch at the Thales chalet, followed by a visit of the show. Alexandre de Juniac and François Quentin welcomed the students and explained the goals of the Paris Air Show and the important links that exist between Thales and the French schools.

The first group of Thales Academia students have spent an informative day visiting the new Thales Research & Technology research centre located on the École Polytechnique campus in Palaiseau, on the southern outskirts of Paris.
Along with their Thales tutors and representatives of the partner establishments and the French Foreign Ministry, the Chinese and Indian students were given a close-up look at how research is carried out at Thales, through a series of workshops led by researchers.
Laboratory director Bertrand Demottes-Mainard was also on hand to ensure the visit was a successful "inside-view" introduction to Thales.

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The first students to be supported by Thales as part of the Thales Academia overseas student sponsorship initiative were welcomed by representatives of Thales during a reception held at head office on Tuesday November 7th.
Thales Academia is a sponsorship programme which has been set up in partnership with the French ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of France's top academic establishments, to support foreign students throughout their postgraduate studies in France.
The reception in Neuilly was an opportunity for the 21 Chinese and Indian students who have been selected for the programme to familiarise themselves with the company, and to meet their Thales tutors! They were warmly welcomed by Communications SVP Sylvie Dumaine, who outlined the thinking behind the programme and how it is in line with Thales's "Technology for the benefit of Youth and Education" sponsorship policy. She underlined the dual nature of Thales's support for the students: material through the allocation of a Thales Academia grant, but also through the system of personalised tutoring by established managers within the Group.
Air Systems SVP Alexandre de Juniac, expressed his pride at being appointed patron of this first intake of Thales Academia students. He explained the interest for students of getting to know Thales: its multinational dimension, its reliance on highly-qualified engineers and their intellectual assets, and the prospects of the company expanding in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. He also praised the Thales tutors for their involvement and wished the students luck with their endeavours in France.
Representing the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation director Philippe Étienne talked about the importance of the partnership with a view to future relations and exchanges with the different countries. He also saluted the format of the initiative which could form a whole new model for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: a three-way partnership between the ministry, students and the various top schools involved.
The students then met their respective Thales tutors who they got to know better during the course of the ensuing cocktail!