SFERE

What SFERE does

SFERE SA, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Vincennes, France, is a private professional services firm specializing in international education and development consulting. It is wholly owned by the non-profit association Procoope, has no external shareholders, and operates with a core team of 25 permanent employees backed by a vetted network of 3,800 experts and consultants. The company is ISO 9001 certified for over 15 years and is led by Patrice Laurens as Chairman and CEO.

SFERE's revenue is generated from three interconnected professional services lines: (1) Scholarship Program Management, where it operates foreign-government-funded scholarship programs placing international students in French higher education institutions across 31 non-French-speaking countries, with 9,500+ recipients supported since inception; (2) Technical Assistance Projects, where it responds to international calls for tender from donors such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, AFD, and the European Union to modernize education and training systems in 104 countries; and (3) Customized Training Programs, delivering tailor-made short courses for groups of 8-25 participants in French, English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct contracts with foreign ministries and responses to public tenders, with multi-decade anchor relationships including JPA Malaysia (since 1995), MoHERI Oman (since 2017), and Egyptian MoETE (recent). Reported outcome metrics include 260 scholarship programs, 350+ technical assistance projects, and 220 customized training cycles delivered over 40 years. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and pricing is negotiated per project.

Name

SFERE

Legal name

SFERE SA

Website

https://sfere.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SFERE is a French non-profit-owned professional services firm that manages international scholarship programs, delivers technical assistance for education system modernization, and runs customized training programs for foreign governments, ministries, and donor institutions across 104 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), Study Abroad Program Management & Administration (for Institutions) (EDAIAAAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• International scholarship management
• Education technical assistance
• Customized professional training
• Education system development
• International student support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vincennes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scholarship Program Management: SFERE manages international scholarship programs on behalf of foreign public partners (ministries, agencies, foundations) and major companies. They provide comprehensive support covering academic and administrative operations related to studying and living in France, including pre-departure preparation, orientation, placement, and ongoing monitoring.
2. Technical Assistance Projects: Consulting and technical assistance for creation and modernization of education and training systems. Projects include institutional strategies, organizational performance improvement, and skills development. Operates through direct contracts or responses to international calls for tender.
3. Customized Training Programs: Tailor-made short training courses for institutional partners including seminars, lectures, workshops, case studies, and site visits. Programs range from a few days to several weeks, serving groups of 8-25 participants in multiple languages.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SFERE manages international scholarship programs on behalf of foreign public partners (ministries, agencies, foundations) and major companies, handling the full academic and administrative lifecycle of international students studying in France. The company also delivers international technical assistance and consulting for the creation and modernization of education and training systems, and designs tailor-made short training courses for institutional partners. Operations span 104 countries supported by a network of 3,800 experts and 25 permanent employees.

Product overview

SFERE operates as a unified service portfolio centered on international education and training. The company offers three interconnected core services: (1) Scholarship Program Management for international students studying in France, (2) International Technical Assistance for educational system development, and (3) Customized Training courses. Key sub-products include French EduCare (a comprehensive student support program), country-specific scholarship programs for Malaysia (JKPJ) and Oman (MoHERI), and specialized training initiatives like the Smart Government Program. The services are interconnected through SFERE's network of 3,800 experts and close ties with the French higher education system, enabling seamless student placement, academic monitoring, and institutional development support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Program Management End-to-end management of international scholarship programs for foreign ministries, agencies, and foundations, covering orientation, academic placement across the French higher education network, pre-departure preparation, ongoing monitoring, and administrative support for students from 31 non-French-speaking countries.
• International Technical Assistance Consulting and technical assistance for the creation and modernization of education and training systems, delivered through direct contracts or responses to international calls for tender, drawing on a network of 3,800 experts for skills development, institutional strategy, and organizational performance improvement.
• Customized Training Tailor-made short training courses co-designed with institutional partners (ministries, companies, research centers, universities), delivered to groups of 8-25 participants over a few days to several weeks in French, English, Spanish, or Portuguese, covering architecture, content, expert mobilization, site visits, and full logistics.
• French EduCare

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,500+ scholarship recipients supported to graduation from 31 countries over 40 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• MoHERI (Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation - Oman)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025MoHERI and SFERE signed a cooperation agreement effective until 2030, strengthening Franco-Omani collaboration in higher education. The partnership enables 24 Omani students annually to pursue Bachelor's level studies in France in science and engineering fields. Cooperation initiated in 2017.
• CID ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2025SFERE and CID Consulting partnered to support the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE) in implementing its Technical Education 2.0 strategy. The partnership involves revising 37 technical curricula using competency-based approach, with workshops running until mid-July 2025.
• AFD (Agence Française de Développement)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2025AFD provides funding support for the Egypt technical education reform project where SFERE and CID Consulting are implementing the Technical Education 2.0 strategy, including revision of 37 technical curricula.
• Multimedia University (MMU) MalaysiasecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2024Partnership with Multimedia University to co-organize the Smart Government Program for senior Malaysian officials, focusing on cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation training.
• Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) MalaysiacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 25 November 2024JPA Malaysia partners with SFERE for the Smart Government training program for senior Malaysian officials. SFERE has also partnered with JPA since 1995 for Malaysian engineering scholarship programs in France.
• EPITA: Ecole d'Ingénieurs en InformatiquesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2024EPITA provided training modules for the Smart Government Program focused on cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation for Malaysian officials.
• Telekom MalaysiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1995SFERE designed and implemented academic solutions for Malaysian students to study engineering in France, beginning with Telekom Malaysia in 1995. The partnership expanded to include JPA and Petronas.
• PetronascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1995Partnership with Petronas for Malaysian engineering scholarship programs in France, complementing JPA and Telekom Malaysia programs since the late 1990s.
• French Ministry of Higher Education and ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984SFERE was created from an initiative of the French Ministry of Education and Higher Education to serve the entire French public higher education network and contribute to its international promotion in non-French-speaking countries. Maintains ongoing collaboration with French ministries.
• French Higher Education Network (75 universities, 108 IUTs, 200 engineering schools)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1984Network of French higher education institutions that receive international scholarship students managed by SFERE. SFERE's historical anchoring provides access to all French higher education institutions for student placement.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Palladium: International development consultancy executing donor-funded programs (education, governance, health) for DFID/FCDO, USAID, ADB, etc. Competes with SFERE for tenders from the same set of multilateral donors on education system reform and capacity building.
• Tetra Tech (International Development Services): Large international development consulting firm implementing donor-funded education and governance projects. Acts as a prime contractor on World Bank, ADB, and USAID education reform tenders that overlap with SFERE's technical assistance portfolio.
• British Council: UK body promoting British education, administering scholarship and exchange programs (e.g., Chevening, Erasmus+) and providing English-language and technical training. Overlaps with SFERE on international scholarship administration and customized training for institutional partners.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German international development agency implementing donor-funded technical assistance, including education system reform and TVET projects. Directly comparable to SFERE's technical assistance division in scope, geography, and donor base.

Direct peers

• Education Development Trust: UK-based charity delivering donor-funded technical assistance for education system improvement, teacher training, and curriculum reform worldwide. Comparable international education consultancy footprint and service portfolio to SFERE's technical assistance line.
• EGIDE: French nonprofit operator historically responsible for managing foreign-government scholarship programs in France (BGF/EIFFEL). Closest operational analog to SFERE's scholarship program management business, including pre-departure, placement, and monitoring of recipients.
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst): German Academic Exchange Service, the world's largest national scholarship operator, funding and managing international students and academic exchange similar to SFERE but on a much larger scale. Closely comparable scholarship administration and outbound student management model.
• Campus France: French public agency that promotes French higher education internationally and assists foreign students with admission, visa, and scholarship procedures. Most direct comparable to SFERE's scholarship management and student placement operations; both serve foreign ministries and use the French HE network as a distribution channel.

Emerging players

• UNESCO IIEP (International Institute for Educational Planning): UN agency providing technical assistance and capacity building for education system planning and policy reform in developing countries. Comparable in mandate to SFERE's technical assistance wing, though with a UN mandate rather than a commercial operator model.

Others

• AFD (Agence Française de Développement): French bilateral development bank funding education, governance, and human development projects. Not a peer in delivery but a major SFERE client and upstream donor on technical assistance work such as the Egypt MoETE curriculum revision.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfere
• Facebookfacebook.com/SFERE-597744866913628

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 SFERE