Space: Cannes Lérins approves a university chair and a NewSpace diploma in Cannes
On Thursday 9 October, the metropolitan council approved the creation, across the CAP AZUR metropolitan area, of a 'Space Sovereignty and Challenges' university chair, with an international diploma in NewSpace engineering in Cannes. The 5th Space Encounters will take place on 19 November.
Translated from the French original. Lire en français
Meeting in Cannes on Thursday 9 October for a session chaired by David Lisnard, president of the Cannes Lérins metropolitan area, the council members examined 42 resolutions. Among them was a major industrial item: developing the space sector, with approval of the creation, across the CAP AZUR metropolitan area, of a university chair entitled 'Space Sovereignty and Challenges'.
The chair aims to develop training in this strategic sector, notably through the creation of an international diploma in NewSpace engineering in Cannes. According to the metropolitan authority, the move is part of the Space, AI and Quantum Campus project, which structures the local strategy around cutting-edge technologies.
The choice is no accident: the Côte d'Azur region counts 70 companies and 5,800 jobs in the space sector, with turnover of 957 million euros, according to figures from the Nice Côte d'Azur chamber of commerce dated January 2022, cited by Université Côte d'Azur. Thales Alenia Space, whose Cannes Space Centre is one of the local industrial jewels, is among the sector's historic partners.
A work-study NewSpace master's by 2026
In parallel, Université Côte d'Azur and the Côte d'Azur Observatory are carrying the COMETES project, backed by a 2.8 million euro grant, to meet the sector's recruitment needs. The programme plans to open, by 2026, a work-study master's degree to train engineers for the NewSpace sector, co-designed with industry and offered by Spectrum, Université Côte d'Azur's research school in science and engineering. The Côte d'Azur University Space Centre (CSU) is to serve as its teaching platform, with real nanosatellite projects run by students, researchers and industry.
The 5th Space Encounters on 19 November
Space will also take centre stage in Cannes on 19 November with the 5th Space Encounters. The metropolitan authority describes the event as a must-attend gathering of industrialists, institutions, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors to discuss the sector's major challenges.
The council also noted progress on the Bâtiment Sport Santé, part of the Nouvelle Frayère project in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Launched in 2016, the building, due to open in January 2027, will include a dance studio, a boxing hall and a city stadium, a health hub with a pharmacy expected to open in December 2026, nine homes for workers and a 101-space parking silo.
The authority also approved the purchase of a 40,000 m² plot in Fréjus for a flood-retention structure on the Riou de l'Argentière, able to temporarily store up to 390,000 m³ of water, to better protect exposed areas, notably in Mandelieu-la-Napoule.
