What IFSTTAR does

IFSTTAR, legally operating today as Université Gustave Eiffel, is a French public research university headquartered in Champs-sur-Marne, with additional campuses in Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, Lyon, and Bron. The institution was formed through the merger of IFSTTAR (Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports et de l'Aménagement des Réseaux) with École des Ponts ParisTech and Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, consolidating activities around sustainable cities, transport systems, mobility, urban planning, water management, and environmental risk research. It represents approximately one quarter of all French research output on sustainable cities and operates as part of France's national higher-education and public-research ecosystem under government oversight.

The university's core "products" are research output, higher-education programs (undergraduate through doctoral), and policy advisory services. Its technology footprint centers on specialized scientific platforms supporting interdisciplinary research in urban development, geography, and infrastructure, alongside a digital ecosystem that includes the main institutional website, the Reflexscience publications platform, a formations/training portal, the CIPEN pedagogical innovation center, and a high-school orientation portal. The institution holds the European HR Excellence in Research label and operates member schools including ESIEE Paris, EIVP, and ENSG/EAVT.

Revenue is derived from a hybrid public-sector model: government-allocated higher-education funding, tuition and continuing-education fees (including alternance/work-study programs), competitive research grants and European project funding (e.g., Horizon Europe), the apprenticeship tax (taxe d'apprentissage) channeled through enterprise partners, and mécénat/philanthropic contributions via the university foundation. Customer segments include students, researchers and academics, partner enterprises (through the Club des Partenaires), and public-policy actors requiring scientific expertise. Distribution is primarily campus-based with international student recruitment and digital learning environments extending reach.

Name

IFSTTAR

Legal name

Université Gustave Eiffel

Website

https://ifsttar.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Université Gustave Eiffel (formerly IFSTTAR) is a French public research university in Champs-sur-Marne delivering higher education and conducting research in sustainable cities, transport, mobility, and urban planning, serving students, researchers, partner enterprises, and public-policy actors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ), Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG), Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

Keywords

• Transport research
• Sustainable cities
• Higher education
• Urban planning
• Transport infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Champs-sur-marne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Higher Education Tuition and Fees: Revenue from student tuition, registration fees, and continuing education programs including alternance (work-study) and professional development courses.
2. Research Contracts and Grants: Funding from government research grants, European projects, contracts with public institutions, and collaborative research partnerships supporting public policy development.
3. Apprenticeship Tax (Taxe d'apprentissage): Sponsorship funding from companies supporting professional education and training programs.
4. Foundation and Philanthropy: Donations and mecénat (corporate patronage) contributions through the university's foundation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFSTTAR (Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports et de l'Aménagement des Réseaux) was a French public research institute focused on transportation, infrastructure, and mobility. It has since merged with École des Ponts ParisTech and other institutions to form Université Gustave Eiffel, a public university providing higher education from undergraduate to doctoral levels and conducting advanced research in sustainable cities, transport, mobility, water management, and environmental risks. The university represents approximately one quarter of all French research on sustainable cities.

Product overview

Université Gustave Eiffel is a comprehensive university platform that emerged from the merger of IFSTTAR and University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée. The institution offers a multi-platform digital ecosystem comprising the main institutional website, research platforms (Reflexscience), educational portals (formations portal, CIPEN for pedagogical innovation), and student guidance tools (orientation-lyceens). The university positions itself as a leader in sustainable cities research in France, representing a quarter of French research on this thematic. The platform provides access to education, research, international collaborations, and public policy support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Université Gustave Eiffel Main Institutional Platform The main institutional platform of Université Gustave Eiffel providing access to research, higher education programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels, international collaboration opportunities, and public policy support services. Targets prospective students, researchers, partner enterprises, and public policy actors.
• Reflexscience

Quantifiable outcome

• Represents 25% of French research output on sustainable cities
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• ESIEE PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school of Université Gustave Eiffel. ESIEE Paris is a graduate engineering school specializing in digital technologies and innovation. Provides engineering education within the university ecosystem.
• EIVP (École des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school specializing in urban engineering and city infrastructure. Contributes to the university's expertise in sustainable urban development and civil engineering.
• ENSG/EAVT (École Nationale des Sciences Géographiques / École d'Architecture de la Ville et des Territoires)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational school of geographic sciences and architecture school focused on cities and territories. Member institution contributing expertise in geography, urban planning, and spatial analysis.
• European Research Projects ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participant in European research projects under Horizon Europe and other EU funding programs. Collaborates with international research partners on sustainable development themes.
• Club des PartenairesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerStructured partnership club bringing together enterprises and public actors collaborating with the university. Provides networking, recruitment, and collaborative innovation opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arts et Métiers ParisTech: French engineering school network with applied research in mechanical, industrial and materials engineering, including transport and manufacturing. Comparable in scale, public status and industry-facing graduate programs.
• École des Ponts ParisTech: Top French grande école focused on civil engineering, transport, urban planning and environmental science. It merged with IFSTTAR to form Université Gustave Eiffel and remains the closest thematic peer in transport and cities research.
• INSA Lyon: Largest French INSA engineering school with strong research in civil engineering, urban systems and transport materials. Directly comparable as a French technical university serving similar student segments and partner enterprises.
• Centrale Lyon (École Centrale de Lyon): French engineering grande école with research strengths in transport, energy and materials. Overlaps with Université Gustave Eiffel in engineering education, applied research and industry partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Politecnico di Milano: Italian technical university with deep research in transport engineering, urban planning and architecture. Comparable as a European technical university active in sustainable-mobility and infrastructure research consortia.
• Université Paris-Saclay: Major French research-intensive university cluster with significant engineering and science capacity, including transport and energy research. Comparable as a large publicly funded research institution but with a broader thematic scope.
• Sorbonne Université: Large Paris-based public research university with broad STEM and social-science research, including urban studies. Operates at greater scale across multiple disciplines, making it a broader incumbent in French public higher education.
• Imperial College London: UK research-intensive university with a Transport Strategy Centre and engineering research aligned to urban mobility. Comparable as an international research university active in EU-funded transport research.
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology: Sweden's largest technical university with active research in transport, urban planning and sustainable infrastructure. Comparable as a Nordic technical university participating in EU research projects.
• TU Delft: Leading Dutch technical university widely recognized for civil engineering, transport, mobility and urban research. Comparable internationally as a technical research university with strong industry partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifsttar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFSTTAR