Quai des Savoirs

What Quai des Savoirs does

Quai des Savoirs is a public cultural institution in Toulouse, France, operated by Toulouse Métropole through its Direction de la Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (DCSTI). It is one of five DCSTI establishments alongside the Muséum de Toulouse, Cité de l'espace, L'Envol des Pionniers, and Aeroscopia. The center is dedicated to contemporary culture at the intersection of science, innovation, and creativity, delivering immersive exhibitions, hands-on workshops, artist residencies, digital installations, podcasts, and participatory science programming across Toulouse and the wider Occitanie region. Its core audiences are general public visitors and families, school and youth groups, underserved communities in priority neighborhoods (via the Hors les murs program), and artists/scientists collaborating on art-science productions.

Quai des Savoirs operates primarily as a publicly funded cultural institution, with three commercial revenue streams: ticket sales (managed via Sécurix 360 ticketing software, ranging from €5 for Quai des Petits to €16 for combined museum tickets), boutique sales (onsite and online boutique.quaidessavoirs.toulouse-metropole.fr), and space rental. Multiple reduced-price and free admission tiers exist (under 6s, students, disabled persons, social benefit recipients, ICOM/ICOMOS card holders, Tourism Pass holders, and free first-Sunday exhibition visits). Pricing and GTM are anchored by event-driven programming (an annual 9-month major exhibition culminating in the 2-week Lumières sur le Quai festival) and community-led artist-in-residence programs (Stéphanie Roland, Jérémy Gobé, Martin Guillaumie, Sylvain Darrifourcq, Justine Emard).

Underlying technology is conventional: the website runs on WordPress CMS with HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, and online ticketing is handled by the dedicated Sécurix 360 platform. The institution has no public API, no proprietary software, and no patents or trademarks. Its intellectual property is centered on its annual programming, sub-brands (Café Euclide, Plateau créatif, Quai des Petits, Forum des Futurs Désirables, Tribunal du Quai des Savoirs), and a deep partnership ecosystem including CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, Université Jean Jaurès, CNES, ADEME, Les Abattoirs, RoseLab, and the Chroniques biennale of Marseille. Strategic positioning centers on sustainability (eco-responsible event label Événement Détonnant), gender equality (Allée Matilda, Effet Matilda), and interdisciplinary art-science dialogue.

Name

Quai des Savoirs

Legal name

Toulouse Métropole

Website

https://quaidessavoirs.toulouse-metropole.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Quai des Savoirs is a public cultural institution in Toulouse, France, operated by Toulouse Métropole, offering immersive exhibitions, workshops, and artist residencies at the intersection of science, innovation, and creativity for general public, families, schools, and underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Onsite and online ticket sales for exhibitions, Quai des Petits, and Plateau Créatif. Managed via Sécutix 360 software.
2. Boutique sales: Sale of objects dedicated to scientific knowledge, innovation and creation, closely linked to temporary exhibition themes. Both onsite and online (boutique.quaidessavoirs.toulouse-metropole.fr).
3. Space rental: Rental of establishment spaces to third parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Quai des Savoirs is a public contemporary cultural center in Toulouse dedicated to science, innovation and creativity. It operates immersive temporary exhibitions, hands-on workshops for children (Quai des Petits for ages 2–7 and Plateau Créatif for ages 7+), artist residencies, podcasts, an annual 'Lumières sur le Quai' festival, and educational group visits. Revenue is generated primarily through ticket sales, boutique merchandise, and space rental.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lumières sur le Quai: Annual artistic and scientific festival of the Quai des Savoirs, held over two weeks, crossing disciplines and artistic and scientific perspectives.
• Plateau créatif
• Quai des Petits
• Café Euclide
• Forum des Futurs Désirables
• Tribunal du Quai des Savoirs

Products and services

• Quai des Petits

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Les Abattoirs (Musée des Abattoirs Frac Occitanie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Co-producer of the exhibition 'À l'écoute du vivant: Biomimétisme entre Arts et Sciences' with the Quai des Savoirs. Les Abattoirs hosts the physical exhibition while Quai des Savoirs co-produces content. Also collaborated on artist residencies (Jérémy Gobé).
• Chroniques (Biennale de Marseille)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producer of artist Stéphanie Roland's installation 'Serpentine Night' (formerly 'The Fault Zone') as part of the Chroniques biennale. The Quai des Savoirs hosts the artist in residence in collaboration with this Marseille-based art-science biennale.
• RoseLab (Toulouse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-residency partnership with RoseLab, a digital creation lab in Toulouse. Artists (Martin Guillaumie) undertake residencies at RoseLab under the joint call 'Print the future'. RoseLab provides technical infrastructure and maker resources; the Quai des Savoirs provides curatorial and programming support.
• Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III (CNRS/GET)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Stéphanie Roland worked in laboratories of Université Paul Sabatier during her residency, collaborating with sismologists, rupture specialists, and petrography researchers including Mary-Alix Kaczmarek and Matthieu Sylvander (IRAP/Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées).
• Université Toulouse Jean JaurèssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Stéphanie Roland worked in laboratories at Université Jean Jaurès during her residency, collaborating with researchers including Franck Vidal from the Institut Pluridisciplinaire pour les études sur les Amériques.
• CNRS (Geosciences Environnement Toulouse / GET)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with CNRS research labs (GET) for artist residencies, providing scientific expertise and laboratory access for artistic projects at the intersection of art and science.
• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 2024 'IA, double Je' exhibition to present the most recent data on the environmental footprint of digital technology and AI, including dedicated zones, debate meals, and Forum des Futurs Désirables sessions.
• CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with artist Justine Emard on a project using scientific data from encephalographic recordings, exploring dreams as an art form, as documented in the Quai des Savoirs program.
• Corail ArtefactsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational art-science-industry-education project initiated by Jérémy Gobé to save coral reefs. Quai des Savoirs hosted Gobé in residence and co-produced the immersive coral installation for 'À l'écoute du vivant'. Tested concrete structures in Colombia for coral redeployment.
• Festival de la Bande Dessinée de ColomierssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for comic-based exhibitions including 'Fake news, l'info qui ne tourne pas rond' (Doan Bui and Leslie Plée) and 'Une Grande histoire de l'amour' (Nicolas Barrome-Forgues).
• Elémen'TerresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreator of the regional 'Événement Détonnant' (Startling Event) label for eco-responsible events in Occitanie. The Lumières sur le Quai festival is pursuing this label, which guarantees a concrete, credible, and verifiable eco-responsible approach.
• Université Fédérale Toulouse-PyrénéessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint inauguration of 'Allée Matilda' on 27 September 2019, a reference to the Matilda Effect, recognizing the lack of recognition of women scientists. The alley hosts free temporary exhibitions related to the season's themes.
• Les AlchimistesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for bio-waste composting from Café Euclide, supporting the café's commitment to waste reduction and sustainable food practices.
• Toulouse Métropole cultural institutions networksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Toulouse Métropole cultural institutions including Bibliothèques de Toulouse, Musée des Augustins, Musée Georges-Labit, Musée Paul-Dupuy, Musée Saint-Raymond, Le Château d'Eau, Couvent des Jacobins, Monuments de Toulouse, Muséum de Toulouse, Orchestre National du Capitole, Opéra national du Capitole, Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional, Archives municipales, B612, Office du tourisme, and Agence d'attractivité. These partner institutions are listed on the Quai des Savoirs website and share programming and outreach activities.
• Maison MeneauminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal beverage and syrup supplier for Café Euclide, supporting the café's commitment to local and short supply chains.
• BiocoopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal organic grocery supplier for Café Euclide, providing fruits, vegetables, and legumes as part of the café's sustainable sourcing commitment.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cité de l'espace: A sister DCSTI establishment under Toulouse Métropole focused on space and aerospace; highly comparable in operating model and audience, but specialized in a thematic vertical rather than the cross-disciplinary art-science narrative.
• Universcience: Public umbrella organization that operates the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie and the Palais de la Découverte, addressing the same science-culture public mission on a national scale—comparable in mission and operating model but broader in scope.

Direct peers

• NEMO Science Museum: Leading science center in Amsterdam with hands-on exhibitions, maker programs, and a science-society mission—directly comparable to Quai des Savoirs' Plateau Créatif maker philosophy and public science engagement model.
• Musée des Confluences: Major science and society museum in Lyon operated by the Métropole—directly comparable to Quai des Savoirs in combining science, society, and immersive exhibitions for a regional public audience.
• Cosmocaixa: Science museum in Barcelona operated by the 'la Caixa' Foundation, featuring immersive exhibitions, educational workshops, and a science-and-society focus—directly comparable in programming mix and target audience.
• Cap Sciences: Regional science center in Bordeaux offering exhibitions, workshops, and immersive science engagement—directly comparable to Quai des Savoirs in scope, region (South-West France), and public-facing cultural model.
• Palais de la Découverte: Historic Parisian science museum with immersive exhibitions and educational programming, directly comparable to Quai des Savoirs' exhibition-led, science-engagement model.
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: The flagship French science museum and cultural center in Paris, offering immersive exhibitions, workshops, and a science-and-society mandate directly comparable to Quai des Savoirs' art-science-society programming model.
• Centre Sciences: Regional Centre de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (CCSTI) in Orléans, with a national coordination role for the French science-center network—directly comparable mission and operating model to Quai des Savoirs.

Emerging players

• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based science museum renowned for interactive, inquiry-based exhibits and public science engagement—comparable to Quai des Savoirs in audience proposition and exhibit philosophy, though not a direct geographic competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Quaidessavoirs
• Facebookfacebook.com/quaidessavoirs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quai-des-savoirs
• Instagraminstagram.com/quai_des_savoirs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Quai des Savoirs