Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire

What Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire does

Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire is a regional branch of the national Maisons pour la science network, operating from Orléans and coordinated by Fondation La main à la pâte, a non-profit scientific cooperation foundation headquartered in Paris. Founded in 2014 as part of a network created in 2012 at the initiative of the Académie des sciences and the Académie des technologies, the organization delivers professional development training to primary and secondary school teachers in science, mathematics, technology, and computer science. Training is offered in in-person, hybrid, and remote formats, with sessions organized through the rectorat's official Plan Académique de Formation and supplemented by satellite centers to reduce teacher travel. The network operates through 13 regional Maisons across mainland France and overseas territories.

The organization's core product is structured teacher training built on a co-construction model that pairs educational trainers equally (50%/50%) with active researchers, engineers, technicians, and entrepreneurs from universities and industry, ensuring content is anchored in contemporary scientific practice. Beyond in-person sessions, the Maison distributes distance-learning content via the L@map e-learning platform, which provides short tutorials to help teachers appropriate resources and prepare classes. The organization also participates in specialized programs including ESERO France (space education with CNES/ESA since 2020), chemistry education initiatives with Fondation Maison de la Chimie (since 2019), biodiversity projects such as '1,2,3 Plant'Haie!', and the broader Collèges La main à la pâte network of 100+ partner middle schools.

The business model is non-commercial: training is delivered free of charge to teachers as part of the French public education professional development system. Sustainability is achieved through a diversified funding mix drawn from universities, the rectorat, territorial authorities, companies, civil society organizations, and the private education sector. Each regional Maison operates with a minimum charter team of three (a director, a training engineer, and an administrative assistant), maintaining pedagogical and organizational autonomy while adhering to network-wide quality standards. The Centre-Val de Loire branch thus functions as a regional delivery node within a nationally governed, institutionally anchored educational infrastructure rather than as a revenue-generating enterprise.

Name

Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire

Legal name

Fondation La main à la pâte

Website

https://maisons-pour-la-science.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire is a regional branch of a national French non-profit network delivering professional development training to primary and secondary school teachers in science, mathematics, and technology, operating from Orléans under Fondation La main à la pâte with free training funded by public and private partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Professional Development / Science Education Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training Delivery Providers (In-Person, Virtual, Train-the-Trainer) (BPACANAM), Education & Training Providers (EDABALAI)

Keywords

• Teacher professional development
• STEM education training
• Science teacher training
• Educational professional development
• Distance learning platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Orléans, Centre Val-de Loire

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: Financing and sustainability of each Maison pour la science is based on diverse sources: universities, rectorat, territorial actors, companies, civil society, and private education sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire delivers in-person, hybrid, and distance-learning professional development training programs for primary and secondary school teachers in science, mathematics, technology, and computer science. Training is co-constructed equally (50/50) between academic trainers and practicing scientists, engineers, and industrial researchers. The organization also deploys the L@map online platform and participates in national programs such as ESERO France (space education) and the Collèges La main à la pâte network.

Product overview

Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire is a regional branch of the national "Maisons pour la science" network, coordinated by the Fondation La main à la pâte. It provides professional development training for teachers (pre-school through secondary) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The organization does not offer a technology product per se, but rather delivers in-person, hybrid, and distance learning training programs. Key offerings include teacher training sessions, educational resources, and science education projects such as ESERO France (space education), chemistry education programs, and the Collèges La main à la pâte network. Training is offered in collaboration with scientific laboratories, universities, and the Rectorat.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Académie des sciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Initiated the creation of the network in 2012. A representative of the Académie des sciences participates in the steering committee of each Maison. Accompanies the network at national level alongside Académie des technologies.
• Académie des technologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-initiated the network creation in 2012 alongside Académie des sciences. A representative participates in each Maison's steering committee. Supports the network nationally.
• Fondation La main à la pâtecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates the national network of Maisons pour la science. Provides governance support, quality standards, shared resources, and the L@map e-learning platform.
• ESERO France (European Space Education Resource Office)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorté par l'Agence spatiale européenne (ESA) et coordonné par le CNES. Since 2020, ESERO France encourages teachers and students to discover the spatial domain in class. The Maisons organize about a dozen training actions per year on spatial, Earth and Sky observation topics.
• Fondation Maison de la ChimiemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2019, partnership with support from the Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie to promote chemistry teaching at school and college through pedagogical resources and teacher training, both online and in-person.
• Cité de l'espacemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey national consortium partner in ESERO France program, working alongside the Maisons pour la science to provide space education resources and training.
• Planète SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey national consortium partner in ESERO France program, contributing to space education initiatives alongside the Maisons pour la science.
• Université de RennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Maison pour la science en Bretagne. Provides administrative infrastructure and scientific environment. Part of the TISSAGE project (Science avec et pour la société).
• Station biologique de PaimpontmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the '1,2,3 Plant'Haie!' biodiversity education project. Provides scientific mediation expertise and training facilities.
• Rectorat de l'académie de RennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional education authority partnering with Maison pour la science en Bretagne for teacher training coordination.
• Institut Polaire Émile Victor (IPEV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Embarquez en Antarctique project, providing access to polar research for teacher and student education.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates ESERO France program alongside ESA. Supports space education initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smithsonian Science Education Center: US-based non-profit developing K–12 STEM curricula and teacher professional development programs. Comparable as an institutional science-education organization delivering teacher CPD with research-based curricula and partnerships with scientific bodies.
• La main à la pâte – Fondation: The parent coordinating foundation of the Maisons pour la science network. Comparable as the umbrella organization providing teacher resources and coordination, including the L@map platform and the Collèges La main à la pâte program.
• Réseau Canopé: France's national teacher training and educational resource network, operating under the Ministry of Education. Directly comparable as a public-sector provider of professional development and pedagogical resources to teachers across France.
• Centres Pilotes La main à la pâte: Sister network under the same parent Fondation La main à la pâte, focused on primary-school science education support. Comparable as a related French teacher-support network operating under the same ecosystem but serving the primary segment.
• STEM Learning (UK): UK-based national STEM education charity providing teacher training, CPD and STEM resources. Comparable as a national non-profit delivering professional development training to teachers with strong corporate and institutional partnership networks.
• ESERO France: European Space Education Resource Office in France, coordinated by CNES with ESA. Comparable as a French teacher training program focused on STEM (specifically space education) with similar target audience of primary/secondary teachers.

Broad incumbents

• IH2EF (Institut des hautes études de l'éducation et de la formation): French Ministry of Education institute for senior education leaders. Comparable as a public-sector French institution providing professional development, though focused on leadership/executive education rather than classroom subject matter.
• Discovery Education: Global K–12 digital content and professional development provider serving teachers and schools. Comparable as a larger, broader STEM education and teacher CPD provider, though commercially driven rather than foundation-based.
• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based museum and science-education institution with established teacher professional development programs (Institute for Inquiry, Teacher Institute). Comparable as a larger, broader science-education organization offering teacher CPD with strong scientist-educator ties.

Emerging players

• Office for Climate Education (OCE): Sister initiative under Fondation La main à la pâte and UNESCO focused on climate change education. Comparable as a thematic education-training program adjacent to the Maisons' STEM mission, with international scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mpls_bretagne
• Facebookfacebook.com/Maison-pour-la-science-au-service-des-professeurs-en-Bretagne-863521600443400
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mpls-cvl
• Instagraminstagram.com/mplsbretagne8/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Maison pour la science en Centre-Val de Loire