E=mc²: When Students and Companies Join Forces to Accelerate the Energy Transition

Driven by Energy4Climate and Bpifrance, the third edition of the E=mc² program confirms its role as a catalyst connecting young talents and committed companies in decarbonization. 

Uniting Energy for the Climate

Facing the climate emergency, French companies are rethinking their business models. To support them in this transformation, Energy4Climate (E4C) and Bpifrance are launching the third edition of the E=mc² program – Students = Activists and Consultants for the Climate.
Created in 2022, this initiative bridges two complementary worlds: academic research and entrepreneurial action.

Learning by Doing: Supporting Decarbonization

Now part of the course “Supporting Companies in Their Ecological Transition,” this year’s program brings together 33 students supervised by Professors Philippe Drobinski and Nicolas Mottis. Their mission: to help 11 French SMEs and mid-sized companies develop their roadmaps toward decarbonization, supported by three PhD coaches.

Over a three-month period, students immerse themselves in partner companies, aiming to design concrete, sustainable, and realistic actions for the short, medium, and long term — combining scientific rigor with practical insight.

A Bridge Between Academia and Business

In just three editions, E=mc² has established itself as a true laboratory for ideas.
The program offers students a unique learning experience while providing companies with hands-on support for their climate strategies.
For Bpifrance and E4C, it demonstrates that innovation, youth, and the ecological transition can advance hand in hand.

A Collective Commitment to a Sustainable Future

Through this initiative, E4C and Bpifrance reaffirm their commitment to train the changemakers of tomorrow and stimulate climate engagement within the French business ecosystem.
Each edition of E=mc² strengthens a network of young professionals aware of the challenges and equipped to transform companies from within.