Faurecia supports an innovation initiative run by the Ecole Centrale de Paris and ESSEC

Faurecia participated in the launch of a new student training program entitled "Innovation product creation" run by the Ecole Centrale de Paris, a French engineering school, and ESSEC, a French business school. Faurecia's sponsorship of this initiative reflects its aim to increase links with French engineering schools and its ambition to increase the contribution of external talents to its innovation process.

The initiative, which ran from October 2005 to April 2006, involved 11 different product or service-related projects in the field of sustainable development that were proposed to 60 students.

With the support of Faurecia's Marketing department and its R&D experts, an international team made up of six students worked on a research project that focused on how to reduce the weight of automotive seats and how to determine the value of this reduction. The results of this project will now be integrated in Faurecia's innovation process.

The program was closed at the beginning of April with the organization of a "trade show" at the ESSEC campus near Paris during which each team presented its completed project to a jury of teachers and professionals. During this show, the team supported by Faurecia was awarded the "Sustainable Development" prize by BeCitizen, a Paris-based sustainability consulting and communications company. In addition, Faurecia, as sponsor of the program, handed over an award to the "Cité des matières" (City of Materials) team, which presented a theme park concept based on sustainable development.

Following the success of this initiative, Faurecia has decided to continue its sponsorship of the "Innovation product creation" program with the Ecole Centrale de Paris and ESSEC for the 2006-2007 academic year.