ESBS
ESBS is a public French engineering school within the Université de Strasbourg that delivers Diplôme d'Ingénieur, Master's, and DU programs in biotechnology and chemistry-biotechnology to roughly 200–250 students annually, with a trinational training footprint across France, Switzerland, and Germany.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersIllkirch-graffenstaden, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What ESBS does
ESBS (École supérieure de biotechnologie de Strasbourg) is a public French engineering school and constituent component of the Université de Strasbourg, founded in 1981 and located at 300 Bd Sébastien Brant, 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden within the Parc d'Innovation d'Illkirch (Pôle API). It delivers higher-education programs in biotechnology to a small, selective cohort of 200–250 students (including ~16 international and ~4 Erasmus students) and an 11–50 staff. Its core academic portfolio comprises two Diplôme d'Ingénieur tracks (Biotechnology and Chemistry-Biotechnology "Chembiotech"), four Master's tracks in biotechnologies (synthetic biotechnology, high-throughput analysis, biopharmaceuticals conception and production, and biotechnology & data sciences "BSD"), two Diplômes d'Université (DU Ingénieur éco-responsable and DU Recherche et Innovation Thérapeutique with the DDD Challenge), and apprenticeship ("alternance") pathways.
Its technology platform is best characterized as a curriculum-plus-research architecture rather than a software product: it integrates industry and research partners through the EUCOR European Campus (Basel, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Haute-Alsace), associated research units (UMR 7242, IGBMC, UAR 3286), and three Interdisciplinary Thematic Institutes (IMS, Innovec, Transplantex NG). Distinctive components include the trinational training program (2 weeks at Basel, 6 weeks at Freiburg), the DDD Challenge (a four-month therapeutic innovation project mentored by academic and industry experts), and recurring engagement formats such as Biotech Corner and the Hackathon de la Biotech. Adjacent offerings — Bio Incubateur and Biotech Lab : Les étudiants entrepreneurs — provide a lightweight startup-creation layer.
The business model is predominantly public funding under French higher-education law, with state allocations flowing through Université de Strasbourg and highly subsidized tuition (€243/year for new entrants; exempt for current Unistra students). Supplementary revenue comes from continuing education (€3,000/year), apprenticeship tax (taxe d'apprentissage) campaigns, and industry/corporate engagement via Biotech Corner, Hackathon, and apprenticeship recruiting. Go-to-market is event- and community-led: open houses, post-bac forums, international recruitment, and EUCOR-driven cross-border enrollment.
ESBS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESBS
- Legal name
- École supérieure de biotechnologie de Strasbourg
- Website
- https://esbs.unistra.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ESBS is a public French engineering school within the Université de Strasbourg that delivers Diplôme d'Ingénieur, Master's, and DU programs in biotechnology and chemistry-biotechnology to roughly 200–250 students annually, with a trinational training footprint across France, Switzerland, and Germany.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESBS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education / Biotechnology Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)
Keywords
Where ESBS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Illkirch-graffenstaden
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ESBS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Public Higher Education Funding: As part of the University of Strasbourg, ESBS operates primarily through public funding from the French government. Tuition is largely subsidized, with basic registration fees of €243 for students not already enrolled at Unistra. Continuing education fees are set at €3,000.
- Apprenticeship Tax (Taxe d'apprentissage): Annual campaign where companies contribute to support biotechnology education and training, providing alternative funding stream for school development
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard enrollment fees for initial training |
| Subscription | Annual | Continuing education professional training |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ESBS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESBS is a public engineering school that delivers graduate-level higher-education programs in biotechnology and chemistry-biotechnology, including engineering degrees (Diplôme d'Ingénieur), four Master's tracks and two University Diplomas (DU), with a unique trinational component in France, Switzerland and Germany. It also operates apprenticeship (alternance) tracks, continuing-education programs and an entrepreneurship/incubation ecosystem (Bio Incubateur, Biotech Lab) hosted within the Illkirch Innovation Park.
Product overview
ESBS (École supérieure de biotechnologie de Strasbourg) is a higher education institution within the University of Strasbourg offering specialized biotechnology education programs. The institution provides two engineering degree programs (Diplôme d'ingénieur en Biotechnologie and Diplôme d'ingénieur en Chimie-Biotechnologie), four Master's tracks (Biotechnologie synthétique, Biotechnologie et analyse haut débit, Biomédicaments: Conception et Production, and Biotechnologie et sciences des données), two University Degree programs (DU Ingénieur éco-responsable and DU Recherche et Innovation Thérapeutique), and apprenticeship options. The portfolio also includes supplementary programs like the ExA2Bio project, Biotech Corner events, and Bio Incubateur/Biotech Lab for student entrepreneurship support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Biotech Corner: A recurring networking event series at ESBS where students meet professionals, entrepreneurs, and researchers from the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
- Bio Incubateur
- Biotech Lab : Les étudiants entrepreneurs
- ExA2Bio Project
Products and services
- Diplôme d'ingénieur en Biotechnologie
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% professional integration rate within 6 months of graduation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ESBS
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ESBS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ESBS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Université de Strasbourg (Unistra)coreESBS is a constituent school of the University of Strasbourg, operating under its governance and administrative structure. Students benefit from full university services and international agreements.
- EUCOR - The European CampuscoreCross-border university network allowing ESBS students to take courses at universities in Germany (Freiburg, Karlsruhe), Switzerland (Basel), and France (Haute-Alsace) without additional enrollment procedures.
- University of BaselcoreSwiss partner university in the trinational program, hosting 2 weeks of practical training for first-year students.
- University of FreiburgcoreGerman partner university in the trinational program, hosting 6 weeks of practical training for students.
- Universitat Politècnica de ValènciasecondarySpanish technical university with exchange agreement for ESBS students seeking international experience.
- Haute École de la Province de LiègesecondaryBelgian higher education institution with student exchange agreement.
- Democritus University of ThracesecondaryGreek university partner for student exchange program.
- Okayama UniversitysecondaryJapanese university partner for international student exchanges.
- Parc d'Innovation d'IllkirchcoreInnovation park hosting ESBS campus, facilitating industry partnerships and technology transfer opportunities.
- Alsace TechsecondaryNetwork of engineering schools in Alsace organizing events and professional development activities.
- Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (IGBMC)coreMajor research institute associated with ESBS, providing research opportunities for students.
- ITI IMS (Institut du médicament de Strasbourg)coreInterdisciplinary Thematic Institute focused on drug research, providing research framework for ESBS students.
- ITI InnoveccoreInterdisciplinary institute focused on innovative biomolecule vectorization.
- ITI Transplantex NGcoreInterdisciplinary institute focused on precision medicine.
- NovartissecondaryPharmaceutical company participating in Biotech Corner events, with company representatives Isabelle Savoy and Crystal Taibl engaging with students.
- Bio IncubateursecondaryBio-incubator providing support for biotech startups and student entrepreneurship through Biotech Lab program.
- Etena et FAB LabsecondaryFabrication laboratory providing prototyping and making facilities for student projects.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ESBS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- University of Basel: Swiss partner university hosting 2 weeks of ESBS trinational training; embedded in the Basel pharmaceutical/biotech cluster that drives ESBS employment outcomes. Comparable as a trinational life-sciences/biotech training institution with pharma-industry integration.
- EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne): Swiss federal institute of technology with strong bioengineering programs and direct geographic/cultural adjacency to ESBS's trinational network (Basel/Swiss partner). Comparable in trinational European biotech engineering footprint and research intensity.
- University of Freiburg: German partner university hosting 6 weeks of ESBS trinational practical training; has strong biotechnology and life-sciences programs. Comparable as an engineering/life-sciences training institution operating in ESBS's trinational ecosystem.
Direct peers
- ESPCI Paris: Paris-based French grande école offering chemistry and biology engineering programs. Comparable in elite engineering-degree structure and life-sciences/chemistry cross-training model akin to ESBS's Chimie-Biotechnologie track.
- SupBiotech Paris: Paris-based engineering school delivering biotechnology engineer degrees with strong industry/apprenticeship model. Directly comparable in program structure, student caliber, and employer recruitment approach.
- AgroParisTech: French grande école ranked #1 in biology engineering (directly above ESBS's #2). Most direct comparable: also an engineering school focused on life sciences/biotechnology with similar engineering degree programs and industry placement focus.
- INSA Toulouse: French grande école engineering institution with a dedicated Bioengineering department offering biotechnology specialization tracks. Comparable in being a French public engineering school delivering applied biotech training.
- UTC (Université de Technologie de Compiègne): French engineering university with a Biological Engineering department offering applied life-sciences programs. Comparable as a French public engineering institution focused on applied/industrial biotech training and industry integration.
- ENSTBB (École Nationale Supérieure de Technologie des Biomolécules de Bordeaux): Bordeaux-based French engineering school specializing in biomolecule technology and bioprocesses under the INP network. Closely matches ESBS's biotech engineering focus and degree structure.
- École de Biologie Industrielle (EBI): Cergy-based French engineering school specializing in biotechnology with engineering degree programs in biotech and bioprocesses. Closely matches ESBS in mission, degree offerings, and target student profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ESBS social profiles
Digital presenceESBS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ESBS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESBS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
ESBS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESBS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESBS
What does ESBS do?
ESBS is a public engineering school that delivers graduate-level higher-education programs in biotechnology and chemistry-biotechnology, including engineering degrees (Diplôme d'Ingénieur), four Master's tracks and two University Diplomas (DU), with a unique trinational component in France, Switzerland and Germany. It also operates apprenticeship (alternance) tracks, continuing-education programs and an entrepreneurship/incubation ecosystem (Bio Incubateur, Biotech Lab) hosted within the Illkirch Innovation Park.
Is ESBS a public or private company?
ESBS is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was ESBS founded?
ESBS was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ESBS based?
ESBS is headquartered in Illkirch-graffenstaden, France, in the Europe region.
How does ESBS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Public Higher Education Funding is the primary driver. The others are apprenticeship Tax (Taxe d'apprentissage).
Who are ESBS's main competitors?
Regional players on record are University of Basel, EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and University of Freiburg. Direct peers are ESPCI Paris, SupBiotech Paris, AgroParisTech, INSA Toulouse, UTC (Université de Technologie de Compiègne), ENSTBB (École Nationale Supérieure de Technologie des Biomolécules de Bordeaux) and École de Biologie Industrielle (EBI).
Does ESBS have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESBS.
What industry is ESBS in?
ESBS's product category is Higher Education / Biotechnology Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAEAA, Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive). Its NAICS code is 6113.