ESBS

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.

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

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

• Biotechnology education
• Engineering programs
• Higher education
• Life sciences training
• Graduate biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Illkirch-graffenstaden

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Université de Strasbourg (Unistra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESBS 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 CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-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 BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss partner university in the trinational program, hosting 2 weeks of practical training for first-year students.
• University of FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman partner university in the trinational program, hosting 6 weeks of practical training for students.
• Universitat Politècnica de ValènciasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish technical university with exchange agreement for ESBS students seeking international experience.
• Haute École de la Province de LiègesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian higher education institution with student exchange agreement.
• Democritus University of ThracesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek university partner for student exchange program.
• Okayama UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese university partner for international student exchanges.
• Parc d'Innovation d'IllkirchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation park hosting ESBS campus, facilitating industry partnerships and technology transfer opportunities.
• Alsace TechsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of engineering schools in Alsace organizing events and professional development activities.
• Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire (IGBMC)coreTechnology or IntegrationMajor research institute associated with ESBS, providing research opportunities for students.
• ITI IMS (Institut du médicament de Strasbourg)coreTechnology or IntegrationInterdisciplinary Thematic Institute focused on drug research, providing research framework for ESBS students.
• ITI InnoveccoreTechnology or IntegrationInterdisciplinary institute focused on innovative biomolecule vectorization.
• ITI Transplantex NGcoreTechnology or IntegrationInterdisciplinary institute focused on precision medicine.
• NovartissecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical company participating in Biotech Corner events, with company representatives Isabelle Savoy and Crystal Taibl engaging with students.
• Bio IncubateursecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBio-incubator providing support for biotech startups and student entrepreneurship through Biotech Lab program.
• Etena et FAB LabsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationFabrication laboratory providing prototyping and making facilities for student projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq2kGTxsePb2ttS4BoDxCtQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ESBS.Strasbourg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esbs-strasbourg
• Instagraminstagram.com/esbs_unistra

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 ESBS