Join us in Angers

In a time of accelerating technological change and global uncertainty, innovation cannot exist without humanity. The challenges we face today, from digital transformation to environmental transitions and social resilience, remind us that progress must be guided by values: responsibility, solidarity, and cooperation.

As engineers, educators, and citizens, we share the duty to ensure that innovation serves people and societies rather than divides them. Engineering plays a central role in this balance between progress and ethics. Engineers design, build, and maintain the systems that shape our daily lives, and their choices influence not only technology, but also how we live together. Technology should help us cooperate, learn, and rebuild, not only optimize systems. The true measure of progress lies not in the sophistication of our tools, but in the wisdom and responsibility with which we use them.

During our 2026 International Week, we will reflect on how human values can inspire responsible innovation across disciplines, from digital technologies and artificial intelligence to sustainable infrastructures, health systems, and education. Together, we will explore how creativity, ethics, and technical expertise can be combined to design resilient, inclusive, and cooperative futures.

By encouraging dialogue between diverse cultures, academic fields, and professional practices, we aim to reaffirm the essential role of international cooperation in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges and the role of engineers as key contributors to peace, sustainability and human development.

A Week for Exchange and Reflection

Throughout the week, participants will be invited to share their experiences, teaching methods, and research perspectives through lectures, workshops, and student projects. Formal and informal discussions will foster a collective exploration of how innovation, when anchored in human values, can contribute to both scientific excellence and social responsibility.

The working language is English, with participant communications also in French, Spanish, and German. 

Academic staff from the following study areas are invited to apply:

Automation and Computer Engineering / Quality, Innovation & Reliability Engineering / Biology and Health Systems Engineering / Civil Engineering, Buildings & Safety / Social Sciences / Languages and Communication Arts: English, German and Spanish.

Participants will:

• give lectures and share experiences with students and staff,
• meet colleagues, find areas of cooperation and mutual concern,
• present university exchange possibilities,
• discover Angers students’ technical and interpersonal skills,
• enjoy a stimulating break in the heart of the Loire Valley.

Polytech Angers is the graduate School of Engineering of the University of Angers. Over 1000 students obtain highly specialized scientific and technical skills and professional know-how in close partnership with industry. Angers is only 90 minutes from Paris and has consistently been voted one of the best places to live in France.

All events are free of charge. Participants are expected to cover their costs for travel, accommodation, and meals not mentioned in the program.