Ecole des Mines de Douai’s Endowment Fund

The purpose of the Ecole des Mines de Douai’s endowment fund is to give the school the means to achieve its ambitions, which are:

-    Contribute to excellence in research and teaching;
-    Reinforce the dynamics in innovation and business start-ups;
-    Set the standard in the field of sustainable development;
-    Consolidate its position in widening participation and social mobility;
-    Continue the school’s internationalization;

These objectives translate into specific programs which the endowment will help to finance:

-    The setting up of an Innovation Centre in order to integrate innovation into the school’s teaching and to create a resource center for local SMEs which will draw on the school’s technology incubator ;
-    Entrepreneurship, especially in the field of sustainable development through the development of APUI, the school’s technology incubator, which is the regional GENI (Grandes Ecoles du Nord Incubation);
-    The setting up of research programs,  especially in sustainable development (indoor air quality, naturally sourced products, concrete bio-repair, etc.);
-   Social mobility projects: grants based on excellence and social criteria in order that young people can study engineering;
-    The “Ressort” operation to help managers temporarily out of a job;
-  Developing the internationalization of the school: grants for students to spend time abroad; to attract talented foreign students to the school (PhD students, post-docs), particularly in the field of sustainable development;

This endowment fund is a financial tool for the school: it allows us to collect funds from corporate patronage or alumni, students’ parents, or even members of staff. It gives financial benefits to donors (60% for businesses, 66% for individuals).

It is also a tool for promoting cooperation on projects and shared ambition based on the school’s development plan.

Lastly, it is a tool for developing the school in the areas outlined in the development plan.