Le Cercle: Université Côte d’Azur and its Foundation are stepping up their efforts at the Palais du Luxembourg

Conceived as a space where academic excellence, innovation, business, finance, and public policy converge, Le Cercle aims to bring together those who generate knowledge, spearhead projects, finance change, and nurture talent.

Université Côte d’Azur is a university of excellence, deeply rooted in its region and open to the world. Our responsibility is to ensure that this excellence has a greater impact: for our students, for our researchers, for our alumni, for businesses, and for the Côte d’Azur. — Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur

Organized at the invitation of Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, Senator for the Alpes-Maritimes, Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur, Mathieu Garotta, President of the Université Côte d’Azur Foundation, and Franck Cannata, President of UPE06, these meetings provided an opportunity to present three key initiatives.

A Club 100 Alumni to share, support, and promote

Université Côte d’Azur and its Foundation announced the launch of the Club 100 Alumni, a community bringing together graduates with remarkable career paths who are committed to mentoring talent, supporting future projects, and enhancing the reputation of Université Côte d’Azur in France and internationally.
The Club 100 Alumni is built around three goals:

• to share graduates’ experience and networks with students and young alumni;
• supporting impactful initiatives through the Foundation;
• promoting the UniCA ecosystem within major economic, scientific, and entrepreneurial networks.

Among the first alumni to be honored is Franck Diard, an engineer and Chief Software Architect at NVIDIA, a graduate of Polytech Nice Sophia, whose sponsorship program has supported the school’s research and innovation since 2020.

Impact Notes: Expertise to Inform Decision-Making

The Université Côte d’Azur Foundation has also launched the Cercle’s Impact Notes, a new publication format designed to produce strategic analyses at the intersection of research, the productive economy, finance, and public policy.
The first round of work focuses on the financing of major regional infrastructure projects, particularly those related to decarbonization, with several priority themes:

• digital infrastructure and data centers;
• energy and electrification;
• reindustrialization;
• deep tech, green tech, and agritech.

The first Impact Notes will be distributed starting in November 2026 to public decision-makers, economic stakeholders, and institutional partners.

An initiative with EY Ventury to accelerate deeptech startups

Finally, Université Côte d’Azur, its Foundation, and EY Ventury have announced the launch of a joint initiative aimed at strengthening the incubation, acceleration, and structuring of startups emerging from research and the Université Côte d’Azur ecosystem.
This initiative aims in particular to:

• to identify and support high-potential projects;
• to strengthen seed funding mechanisms;
• prepare for the creation of a structured investment vehicle starting in 2027.

Université Côte d’Azur already has a solid foundation in deep-tech innovation, with over €4.2 million in financial support for startups and ten companies created since 2021.

A university of excellence focused on impact

With over 32,000 students, nearly 50 research laboratories, and 300,000 graduates from more than 560 programs, Université Côte d’Azur affirms through Le Cercle its commitment to strengthening the links between research, innovation, the economy, and the region.
Through this new initiative, the University and its Foundation aim to foster concrete collaborations capable of accelerating major transitions and making a lasting contribution to the Côte d’Azur’s global influence.

Learn more about the Université Côte d’Azur Foundation