Sponsorship of a technological university often takes the form of support for training, innovation and research. Sometimes, when the company has strong values that it wishes to embody, it can go further. In these cases, the role of the Development and Corporate Relations team is to direct the funds towards coherent, targeted actions. In this way, sponsorship becomes part of a virtuous circle for the benefit of students. IMT Atlantique's partnership with Kelio within the ArchOps "chaire"(group) illustrates this win/win approach in the general interest.
As a French designer, publisher and integrator of IT solutions dedicated to the employee experience, Kelio has been a founding partner of the ArchOps teaching and research chaire since 2020. This subsidiary of the Bodet Group is committed to research and the development of skills in the design of distributed software architectures. Its sponsorship is also based on values shared with IMT Atlantique : openness, exchange and interculturality.
Right from the start, Kelio expressed its desire to contribute to initiatives to promote the international mobility of engineering students. This desire was not expressed randomly: it stems from the personal experience of Jean-Pierre Bodet who, although he has passed on the reins of the family business to one of his sons, remains a tutelary figure. An engineer and son of an engineer, he was encouraged from an early age to discover the world. His considerable international experience forged his spirit of initiative and curiosity, and he wants to enable our engineering students to grow too, thanks to their internships abroad.
Support for international mobility and funds for the integration of international students
To give as many students as possible this opportunity, the institution relies on the patronage of Kelio to finance mobility grants. This year, 29 students on internships around the world received financial support as part of the Young International Talent programme.
On 30 November last, a dozen of them were hosted at Kelio in Cholet, accompanied by Thomas Ledoux, teacher-researcher in the Automation, Productics and Computing department and leader of the ArchOps chaire, and Véronique Stéphan, Director of Development and Corporate Relations. They spoke directly to their sponsor about the benefits of their stay abroad, both professionally and personally.
Also taking part in the visit were the organisers and participants of the World Atlantic Kelio Event (WAKE), which was held on the Nantes campus from 17 to 19 November. Encouraging students to go international is important, but so is ensuring that international students are properly integrated on campus. This is also a key issue for Kelio, whose sponsorship has made it possible to organise this event, which aims to promote intercultural dynamics through sports competitions, e-sports and cultural activities. More than one hundred students of 25 nationalities took part in the 2023 edition!
This learning expedition at Kelio was a great opportunity for students and staff to talk about sponsorship. As Véronique Stéphan points out, "It's vital for our students to meet our sponsors, so that they realise that behind the financial endowments there are men and women for whom these collective projects resonate with the values espoused by the company".
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Gaëlle Baderna
Development and Corporate Relations
Head of Partnership Management
02 51 85 81 18
by Pierre-Hervé VAILLANT