Georgia Tech-Lorraine, the Institute’s first international campus, has received the French-American Chamber of Commerce’s annual Crystal Peach Award. The distinction recognizes outstanding corporate honorees for their “commitment to economic growth, innovation, and the expansion of commercial relations between France and the southeast United States.”
In the Economic Development in France category, Georgia Tech-Lorraine is being honored for bringing the Southeast to France. The campus was established in 1990 in Metz and hosts more than 700 students each year, from undergraduates in all disciplines to postdoctoral students in engineering — creating a two-way talent pipeline across the Atlantic.
With a focus on academics, research, and innovation, the campus houses a joint international research laboratory between Georgia Tech and the French National Center for Scientific Research, with a presence on both the Metz and Atlanta campuses. Adjoining the Metz campus is the Lafayette Institute, a newly established platform for innovation and technology transfer in optoelectronics working in tandem with Georgia Tech’s Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology and the Enterprise Innovation Institute.
Yves Berthelot, president of Georgia Tech-Lorraine and vice provost for International Initiatives, will accept the award on behalf of the campus.
“It’s a great honor to receive this award as we enter our 30th year. Georgia Tech-Lorraine is an extension of Georgia Tech’s innovation ecosystem, and students return from the campus as engaged global citizens,” said Berthelot.
The award is given annually by the Atlanta Chapter of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and will be presented on Oct. 17, during France-Atlanta 2019, an annual series of events centered on innovation and designed to foster French-American cooperation in the fields of culture, science, humanitarian affairs, and business.