IP Paris Défense and the DGA partner to raise student awareness of defense and national sovereignty issues
As science and technology become vital for national sovereignty, this agreement between IP Paris Défense and the DGA takes on its full meaning.
Through this partnership, IP Paris students will gain privileged access to DGA engineers and specialists through tailored lectures, immersive visits to restricted, high-security facilities, and participation in joint projects.
Through this partnership, IP Paris students will gain privileged access to DGA engineers and specialists through tailored lectures, immersive visits to restricted, high-security facilities, and participation in joint projects.
A student-driven initiative
Founded by students, the association has naturally emerged as a vital bridge between academic programs and leading players in the defense industry. Supported from the outset by Institut Polytechnique de Paris, both structurally and financially, and backed extensively by ENSTA, IP Paris Défense is bringing a long-standing initiative to fruition.
We spoke with the president of IP Paris Défense, who took office in May 2026, to discuss the background and future ambitions of this collaboration.
President of the student association IP Paris Défense, Mathys Lesbre is a final-year engineering student at ENSTA, completing an apprenticeship with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. What is the background of IP Paris Défense, and what does this new agreement with the DGA bring?The association was originally founded by Mathéo Le Moël and Charles Farah with a strong conviction: to connect students with the defense ecosystem, the DGA, and defense technological and industrial base (BITD) manufacturers through conferences and site visits to exceptional locations, such as air bases and the Île Longue nuclear submarine base. In 2025, three ENSTA students and one Télécom SudParis student took up the mantle, formally structuring the organization hand in hand with Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Their groundwork paved the way for this partnership with the DGA. Today, I am carrying that mission forward. This agreement represents a tremendous vote of confidence that validates our dedication and opens up direct opportunities for exchange and exclusive events. How do you explain the growing interest among IP Paris students in these topics?Several factors converge here. First, the geopolitical landscape has placed sovereignty and defense back at the center of public debate—these are no longer abstract concepts, but critical issues shaping our shared future. What tangible initiatives are you rolling out across the campus?We want to help students explore an ecosystem that is often misunderstood yet undergoing profound transformation. In practical terms, we enable our members to attend panel discussions, hackathons, and defense expos to build their professional networks. We also host conferences on key strategic topics, such as nuclear deterrence and the ethics of AI in defense systems and provide weekly strategic insights across our social channels, especially Instagram. What is your vision for the coming years?
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