Fondation Norbert Ségard

What Fondation Norbert Ségard does

Fondation Denise et Norbert Ségard (formerly Fondation Norbert Ségard) is a French nonprofit foundation established in 1985 in Lille to perpetuate the legacy of Norbert Ségard in engineering education, applied research, and science-based entrepreneurship. Sheltered under the Fondation de la Catho de Lille (a recognized public-utility foundation with tax-receipt authority), it operates exclusively in the Hauts-de-France region and runs a portfolio of roughly ten programs grouped under four pillars: Education (Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech, Junia Solidaire emergency scholarships), Health (AAP Innovation & Prévention with Eurasanté, HISBTER bootcamp, Deepster challenge, CONCOURS PUI), Innovation (Prix Norbert Ségard "Ingénieur Créateur" for young French deep-tech founders), and Research (thesis grants, postdoctoral fellowships, the Chaire Digital Systems & Life Science with Junia/CNRS/Université de Lille/Université de Tokyo/Centre Oscar Lambret).

Its core "products" are not commercial but programmatic — competitive awards, jury-based prizes, research grants, scholarships, and short-format innovation bootcamps — delivered through a tiny permanent team (11-50 employees) plus expert juries and an alumni network of 75+ supported research projects and hundreds of laureates that includes nationally visible French deep-tech founders (e.g., Ynsect, Eligo Bioscience, DNA Script, Donecle). The foundation has no revenue model in the commercial sense: it does not charge for services, has no disclosed pricing, and is funded entirely by donations, corporate partnerships (Bpifrance, Sanofi, AG2R La Mondiale, Cerballiance, Fondation de France, EDHEC, Junia), and public partners (Région Hauts-de-France, Métropole Européenne de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille).

Customer-facing activity is grantmaking and prize-giving rather than sales: its end-beneficiaries are engineering students, doctoral researchers, health-tech entrepreneurs, and EdTech founders, while its institutional partners are research labs, universities, large corporates, and regional government bodies. The 2020 governance refresh (succession from Jean-Paul Ségard to Gaston Vandecandelaere, renaming to include Denise Ségard, and reaffiliation with Fondation de la Catho de Lille) tightened strategic focus on technology innovation in education and health for Hauts-de-France.

Name

Fondation Norbert Ségard

Legal name

Fondation Denise et Norbert Ségard

Website

https://norbert-segard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fondation Denise et Norbert Ségard is a French nonprofit foundation, sheltered under the Fondation de la Catho de Lille, that funds engineering education, doctoral research, and science-based entrepreneurship in Hauts-de-France through prizes, scholarships, grants, and innovation bootcamps for students, researchers, health-tech and EdTech founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Grants and Innovation Awards

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Field-of-Study & Discipline-Specific Funding (EDAIAOAD), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Engineering education grants
• Research funding programs
• Entrepreneurship awards
• Innovation prizes
• Technology scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fondation Norbert Ségard is a French charitable foundation that supports engineering education, scientific research, and technology entrepreneurship by awarding prizes, scholarships, research grants, and innovation program funding. It runs annual awards (Prix Norbert Ségard Ingénieur Créateur, Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech), health innovation calls (AAP Innovation & Prévention), bootcamps (HISBTER, Deepster), emergency scholarships (Junia Solidaire), and funds doctoral and postdoctoral research through thesis grants, primarily targeting the Hauts-de-France region.

Product overview

Fondation Norbert Ségard is a foundation that supports science and technology entrepreneurship through a portfolio of awards, grants, and innovation programs. The core offerings include the Prix Norbert Ségard (Ingénieur Créateur) for young technology entrepreneurs, the Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech for education technology innovation, and the AAP Innovation & Prévention call for health innovation projects. Supporting programs include HISBTER bootcamp, Deepster challenge, CONCOURS PUI university innovation competition, Junia Solidaire emergency scholarships for engineering students, and a research chair in Digital Systems & Life Science. The foundation also funds doctoral and postdoctoral research through thesis grants. The organization operates under the Fondation de la Catho de Lille and focuses on the Hauts-de-France region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prix Norbert Ségard (Ingénieur Créateur)
• Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech
• AAP Innovation & Prévention
• HISBTER Bootcamp
• Deepster Challenge
• CONCOURS PUI (Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation)
• Junia Solidaire Emergency Scholarships
• Chaire Digital Systems & Life Science
• Thèse Grants (Thesis Grants)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 minor.

• Edtech Hauts-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Edtech Hauts-de-France association to jointly organise the Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech, supporting and promoting EdTech entrepreneurs in the Hauts-de-France region with shared vision for humanistic technology innovation.
• JuniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner that co-sponsors the Edtech entrepreneur prize. Junia is one of the engineering schools founded under Norbert Ségard's influence.
• EDHEC Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Prix de l'Entrepreneur Edtech, providing institutional support and potentially mentorship connections.
• EurasantécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner for health innovation initiatives. Co-organises the AAP Innovation & Prévention call for projects, stimulating preventive health innovations in Hauts-de-France since 2018, supporting over 20 projects.
• Institut Pasteur de LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institution collaborating on the Innovation & Prévention call for projects, bringing scientific expertise to the health innovation initiatives.
• SantélysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare network partner in the Innovation & Prévention initiative, contributing expertise in health services and prevention strategies.
• Université Catholique de LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore institutional partner; the foundation is housed under the umbrella of the Fondation de la Catho de Lille. Norbert Ségard was a key figure in the university's development. Research grants preferentially support projects from this university and its partners.
• ISEN LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering school founded by Norbert Ségard. Strong historical ties; students receive priority information about foundation competitions and awards.
• Yncréa/JUNIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation consortium including engineering schools (HEI, ISA, ISEN) that are close to the foundation's mission. Partnership for the Chaire Digital Systems & Life Science and Junia Solidaire emergency scholarship programme.
• CNRSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national research centre partnering in the SMMiL-E programme (Digital Systems & Life Science chair) together with universities of Tokyo and Lille.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fondation Pierre Fabre: Foundation focused on health innovation and access to care in southern developing countries, with strong ties to training and research. Comparable as a privately-rooted French foundation funding health innovation programs and research partnerships.
• Fondation HEC: Foundation supporting education, research and entrepreneurship around a French grande école. Comparable in mission (education + research + entrepreneurship support) and in operating as a school-anchored grantmaking body.
• Fondation Bpifrance: French national foundation supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and tech transfer. Directly comparable as both entities fund and award French technology entrepreneurs and researchers, with Bpifrance operating at significantly larger national scale.
• Bpifrance Le Lab: Bpifrance's research and foresight unit studying French entrepreneurship and SME innovation. Comparable in supporting French tech entrepreneurs through research, awards and ecosystem-building activities.
• Fondation Ramsay Santé: French hospital-group foundation funding health innovation and prevention research. Comparable as a French grantmaking foundation focused on health prevention and innovation, though anchored to a private healthcare provider.
• Fondation Bettencourt Schueller: Family-rooted French foundation supporting life sciences, biomedical research and education. Comparable mission mix (research + education) and similar founder-family governance model, though operating at much larger national scale.

Broad incumbents

• Fondation MAIF: Corporate foundation supporting research, prevention and education in France. Comparable as a French grantmaking foundation funding prevention, education and innovation, but tied to a national insurance mutual.
• Fondation de France: Largest French grantmaking network covering philanthropy, research, education and health. Comparable as a French grantmaking foundation supporting research and education, but operating nationally with far greater scale and program breadth.
• Fondation de la Catho de Lille: Parent shelter foundation of the subject, recognized as a public-utility foundation. Comparable governance and fundraising model, but broader in scope (education, social, health across the Catholic University of Lille ecosystem).

Emerging players

• Eurasanté: Lille-based health innovation cluster co-organizing several of the foundation's programs (AAP Innovation & Prévention, HISBTER, Deepster, CONCOURS PUI). Closely comparable in regional health-innovation agenda and overlapping partner network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jpsegard
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_Jwh62kYCCXb8aO3b7DhDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fondation.Norbert.Segard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-norbert-s-gard

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fondation Norbert Ségard