Earlier this year, ENS de Lyon signed a bilateral agreement and an exchange program with a Japanese university of excellence: NAIST (Nara Institute of Science and Technology).

Founded in 1991 for Master's and doctoral degrees exclusively, NAIST is made up of three divisions: 

• Biological Science, 
• Information Science, 
• Materials Science (integrating Physics, Chemistry and Materials) 

As part of this exchange with NAIST, on 30 September 2020, the Directorate of International Affairs of ENS de Lyon had the pleasure of welcoming Professor Gwénael Rapenne from the Materials Science Division. 

During the event, a presentation of the partnership was given to the students of "Material Sciences" of ENS de Lyon. Indeed, as part of the 5-year contractual agreement, NAIST commits, amongst other points, to welcome up to 3 students of the School for internships of about 3 months. We are currently considering expanding the partnership; it could be open to other disciplines covered by NAIST (Biology and Computer Science).

Finally, Professor Gwénael Rapenne took advantage of visiting ENS de Lyon to lead a seminar entitled "Prototypes of molecular machines: engines, gears and vehicles".