CDEFI - Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs

What CDEFI - Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs does

CDEFI - Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs is a French non-profit association (association loi de 1901) founded in 1976 by decree of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, whose mandate was subsequently confirmed by the law of August 1, 2007 on the liberties and responsibilities of universities. It represents the directors of approximately 250 French state and private engineering schools and universities of technology accredited by the CTI (Commission des titres d'ingénieur) to deliver the French Engineering degree, giving it a statutory monopoly on national-level representation of this constituency. Its "products" are not commercial but institutional: five thematic commissions (Education/Research/Innovation, Europe/International, Student Guidance, Resources/Staff Guidance, and Ecological/Social Transition) that meet bimonthly, an annual colloquium, the Ingénieurs gender-equality competition launched in 2011, and three international cooperation programs — FITEC, MEXFITEC (France-Mexico, since 2008) and ARFITEC (France-Argentina) — under which CDEFI acts as financial operator. CDEFI also maintains annual trilogue meetings with France Universités, HRK (Germany) and KRASP (Poland).

CDEFI's business model is membership-funded: it operates on recurring subscription/membership dues from its ~250 member institutions, supplemented by institutional partnerships and government support, and does not sell commercial products or services. It has a permanent staff of 26 based at its Paris headquarters at 44 rue Cambronne (15th arrondissement), led by a President (currently Emmanuel Duflos, succeeding Jacques Fayolle and François Cansell) and a permanent structure director (Isabelle Schöninger). The organization generates no parent-company revenue, has no subsidiaries, no M&A history, and is not publicly traded.

CDEFI's go-to-market is event-driven and member-centric, relying on direct engagement with school directors, bimonthly working-group meetings, an annual conference, thematic colloquia, and a communications stack (newsletter, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, press relations via Agence MadameMonsieur). Recent observable activity includes a January 2026 mission to India, a April 2025 Franco-Chilean conference, sustained European trilateral cooperation, and May 2026 public advocacy on the 2028-2034 EU budget — all signaling active expansion of CDEFI's policy and international footprint rather than any commercial growth thesis.

Name

CDEFI - Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs

Legal name

Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs

Website

https://cdefi.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CDEFI is the French non-profit association founded in 1976 by ministerial decree that represents the directors of approximately 250 CTI-accredited French engineering schools and universities of technology, operating from Paris with 26 staff and a mandate confirmed by the 2007 university law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Association - Engineering Education Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) (BPADAKAD), TVET/Skills & Workforce Education Authorities (EDADAAAH)

Keywords

• Engineering education representation
• Higher education advocacy
• International cooperation programs
• Engineering school accreditation
• Gender equality engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and institutional funding: As a non-profit association under French law (association loi de 1901), CDEFI operates primarily through membership contributions from French engineering schools and universities of technology, supplemented by institutional partnerships and government support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CDEFI is a non-profit association under French law (association loi de 1901) that represents the directors of approximately 250+ French state and private engineering schools and universities of technology accredited by the CTI. It acts as the local, national, and international political and public voice of French engineering education, operating through five thematic commissions (Education/Research/Innovation, Europe/International, Student Guidance, Resources/Staff Guidance, and Ecological/Social Transition), international cooperation programs (ARFITEC, MEXFITEC, FITEC), the Ingénieuses gender equality initiative, and an annual colloquium.

Product overview

CDEFI (Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs) is a non-profit association representing directors of French engineering schools and universities of technology authorized by the CTI to deliver the French Engineering degree. Rather than a commercial technology product company, CDEFI operates as a coordination and advocacy body offering programs and services including: the Ingénieuses initiative (promoting gender equality in engineering), international cooperation programmes (ARFITEC with Argentina, MEXFITEC with Mexico, FITEC internationally), annual conferences and colloquia, and five thematic working groups covering education, research, international affairs, student guidance, and ecological transition. Created in 1976, CDEFI serves as the political and public voice of French engineering schools at local, national, and international levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ingénieuses: Annual competition organized by CDEFI to promote gender equality in engineering education, rewarding initiatives from engineering schools, female engineering students, and women engineers.
• MEXFITEC
• ARFITEC

Products and services

• Ingénieuses
• ARFITEC Programme
• MEXFITEC Programme
• FITEC Programme
• Annual Colloquium of Engineering Schools
• Thematic Working Groups (Five Commissions)

Quantifiable outcome

• Created in 1976, CDEFI has been supporting French engineering schools for over 45 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CTI (Commission des titres d'ingénieur)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTI is the French accreditation agency for engineering degrees. CDEFI was created to represent schools authorized by CTI and works closely with CTI on accreditation, quality assurance, and engineering education standards. They co-organize annual events including the Bologna 2018 conference.
• BNEI (Bureau national des élèves ingénieurs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNEI is the national bureau of engineering students. CDEFI collaborates with BNEI on student-related initiatives including the Cpas1Option prevention program and Ingénieuses gender equality operation.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNRS is the French national research agency. CDEFI collaborates with CNRS on research and innovation activities, including the closure event for Année de l'ingénierie (Engineering Year 2025) held at CNRS premises.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA is the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. CEA is listed as a CDEFI partner organization working on research and innovation in engineering education.
• INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINRIA is the French national research institute for digital science and technology. Listed as a CDEFI partner organization for research and innovation collaboration.
• France UniversitéscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance Universités represents French universities. CDEFI collaborates with France Universités on various initiatives including the annual trilogue with HRK (Germany) and KRASP (Poland), and joint seminars on topics like European diploma.
• HRK (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz - German Rectors' Conference)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRK is the German Rectors' Conference. CDEFI maintains annual trilogue meetings with HRK and KRASP (Poland) as part of European higher education cooperation.
• KRASP (Konferencja Rektrów Polskich - Polish Rectors' Conference)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKRASP is the Polish Rectors' Conference. CDEFI maintains annual trilogue meetings with HRK (Germany) and France Universités as part of European trilateral higher education cooperation.
• Castor & PolluxminorOthersCastor & Pollux is the digital agency that hosts and manages the CDEFI website. Located at 72 avenue Pasteur, 93100 Montreuil, France.
• CPU (Conférence des présidents d'université)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPU (now France Universités) signed partnership protocol with CDEFI and Passeport Avenir in 2016 to promote social openness in engineering schools and universities.
• Campus FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus France is the French agency for international higher education. CDEFI partners with Campus France for international student guidance, cooperation programs, and events like Rencontres Campus France.
• FITEC ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDEFI operates as financial operator for international programs including FITEC, facilitating international cooperation and student/teacher mobility between France and partner countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cdefi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conf%C3%A9rence-des-directeurs-des-%C3%A9coles-fran%C3%A7aises-d'ing%C3%A9nieurs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 CDEFI - Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs