Fondation Saint-Cyr

Name

Fondation Saint-Cyr

Legal name

Fondation Saint-Cyr

Website

https://f-sc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Research Nonprofit Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Defense Universities & Joint Professional Military Education (PME) (EDAHAOAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Defense research support
• Military academic partnership
• Cybersecurity research chair
• Nonprofit foundation France
• Strategic studies funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Donations and Sponsorship: The foundation receives financial support from corporate partners and sponsors who contribute to defense research programs. As a recognized public utility foundation, donations are eligible for tax benefits under French law.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to the foundation's mission, with tax deductions of 66% of donation amount up to 20% of taxable income. For IFI purposes, donations qualify for 75% reduction up to €50,000 per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fondation Saint-Cyr funds, coordinates, and disseminates defense-oriented research through research chairs, scientific projects, symposia, and publications. Its core deliverable is the curation and stewardship of collaborative research between the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy, corporate partners (Thales, Safran, Naval Group, MBDA, SNCF), universities, and the French Ministry of Armed Forces, supported by tax-deductible donations and grants.

Product overview

The Fondation Saint-Cyr operates as a foundation supporting and promoting research at the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan and the Defense Ministry. The organization's core offering consists of funding and supporting research chairs (chaires de recherche) including the Cyber Defense Chair, Augmented Soldier Chair, AI and Behavioral Engineering Chair, and Major Strategic Issues Chair, along with the Counter-Terrorism Expertise Center (CELT). Additional products include the DRIFT-FH research program on human factors in cybersecurity, and various publications and conferences. The foundation also provides a donation platform accepting credit card, bank transfer, and check payments. These components work together to bridge military and civilian research, promote defense studies, and support scientific excellence through partnerships with universities and private companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chaire Cyberdéfense (Cyber Defense Chair) Research chair focused on cyber defense and cybersecurity, examining cryptographic algorithms, security architecture evolution, and dynamic entity integration in collaborative combat operations, funded through partnerships with Thales and other corporate supporters.
• Chaire Soldat Augmenté (Augmented Soldier Chair) Research chair studying the conditions of evolution of the infantryman in their environment, covering perception sensors, collaborative data sharing, soldier protection, mobility, and cognitive/ergonomic AI applications.
• Chaire Intelligence Artificielle et Ingénierie Comportementale (AI and Behavioral Engineering Chair) Research chair developing research around three challenges to facilitate the introduction and use of digital and robotic teammates in military forces, including knowledge management and information sharing systems.
• Chaire Grands Enjeux Stratégiques Contemporains (Major Contemporary Strategic Issues Chair) Partnership chair between Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, MBDA, EADS, CEA, Astrium, Thales, and the Saint-Cyr Foundation addressing current strategic challenges.
• Chaire Lutte contre les Manipulations de l'Information et Opérations d'Influence (Combating Information Manipulation and Influence Operations Chair) Research chair on combating information manipulation and influence operations, developing interdisciplinary research combining social sciences and engineering sciences to detect, analyze, and counter threats in the informational sphere of cyberspace.
• Centre d'Expertise sur la Lutte contre le Terrorisme (CELT) Counter-terrorism expertise center established in partnership with the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and SNCF, conducting research and analysis on terrorism prevention under the direction of Jean-Paul Laborde.
• DRIFT-FH Research Program Four-year research project (2022-2026) on 'Digitalisation – Risks – Uncertainties and Fragilities of Technologies associated with Human Factors', studying human vulnerabilities in cybersecurity and developing training solutions to integrate human factors into information system design.
• Rapport d'activité 2025 (Annual Activity Report) Annual activity report documenting the foundation's research initiatives, chair activities, and scientific projects for 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 research chairs established with 4 currently active
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Airbus Defence and Space CybercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026New partnership established in June 2026 for the 'Fight Against Information Manipulation and Influence Operations' chair, signed at Eurosatory 2026.
• SNCFsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2015Partner in the Center of Expertise on Counter-Terrorism (CELT) established in December 2015, supporting research on terrorism prevention.
• ThalescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2012Long-standing partner supporting the Cyberdefense Chair since 2012, renewed in 2015, 2018, and 2022. Thales contributes expertise in cybersecurity and defense systems to collaborative research initiatives.
• SogeticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2012Original partner in the Cyberdefense Chair (2012-2018), contributing to research on cybersecurity and defense systems collaboration.
• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-SorbonnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Major Contemporary Strategic Issues Chair, bringing university research expertise to defense studies collaboration.
• SafrancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Augmented Soldier Chair since 2017, renewed in 2023 for 5 additional years. Funds doctoral theses on infantry evolution conditions and military equipment research.
• Naval GroupsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned research projects including Optical Processor Unit (OPU) for AI behavioral engineering and Solver study for underwater structures analysis.
• MBDAsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Major Contemporary Strategic Issues Chair, contributing to defense and security research alongside other industrial partners.
• Banque Française MutualistesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Ethics of Decision Chair (2014-2017), supporting research on ethical considerations in military decision-making.
• Centre de Recherche de Saint-Cyr (CREC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary research partner - the research center of the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan Military Academy that receives foundation support for scientific projects and chairs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fondation Thales: Corporate foundation of Thales, a key founding member of Fondation Saint-Cyr. Operates as a defense-tech adjacent grantmaking and research-support foundation, sharing the same donor partner overlap and French academic ecosystem.
• Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS): France's leading independent defense and strategic research foundation. Directly comparable as a nonprofit grantmaking and research organization focused on defense studies, strategic foresight, and security policy, targeting similar corporate and institutional partners.
• Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI): France's premier policy research center on international relations and strategic issues. Comparable as a research foundation producing publications, organizing conferences, and partnering with French defense industrial primes and government ministries.
• Fondation de l'École de Guerre: Foundation linked to the French École de Guerre (War College). Comparable as a French defense education-adjacent research foundation supporting strategic studies and operating with similar corporate and institutional donor partners.
• IRSEM (Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l'École Militaire): The French Ministry of Armed Forces' own strategic research institute. Comparable as a defense-focused research body producing publications, conferences, and strategic studies that overlap with Fondation Saint-Cyr's research output and audience.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: US-based international affairs research foundation. Comparable as a grantmaking and research-producing foundation in the strategic and security domain, though larger, US-anchored, and broader in topical scope.
• Chatham House: UK-based international affairs think tank. Comparable as a research-oriented organization producing publications and convening conferences on defense and security, though with a broader global policy remit than Fondation Saint-Cyr's military academy focus.
• RAND Corporation: Global defense and strategic research think tank. Comparable as a research organization producing defense studies, publications, and policy analysis, though vastly larger in scale and operating globally rather than as a small French grantmaking foundation.

Regional players

• NATO Defense College Foundation: Foundation linked to the NATO Defense College in Rome. Comparable as a defense education and research support foundation, but operates at NATO/transatlantic level rather than French national level, providing a partial geographic peer.

Emerging players

• Centre Français de Recherche sur le Renseignement (CF2R): French research center on intelligence and security studies. Comparable in producing defense-relevant research and convening conferences, though smaller in scope and without the foundation's industrial partner network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-saint-cyr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fondation Saint-Cyr