The Béziers University Institute of Technology is betting on the digital economy
The Béziers University Institute of Technology, a little-known part of the University of Montpellier, places new technologies at the heart of its identity. It is a hub of dynamism, focused on the economy of the future.
Forecourt of the Béziers University Institute of Technology
Digital technology has become its trademark. From the very first glance, the high-tech identity ofthe Béziers University Institute of Technology is clear. The ultra-modern building generates electricity via solar panels and recycles rainwater. At night, its facade, symbolizing networks, lights up in blue. Inside, light wood lecture halls and tutorial and practical rooms sit alongside a learning lab, a friendly co-learning space housed in a vast gallery with colorful rectangles, like a reinvented Mondrian.
The equipment available to the 500 or so students is clearly state-of-the-art: filmmaking equipment, motion capture devices, virtual reality headsets, 3D scanners, drones, cutting-edge software, and more. At the start of the 2017 academic year, a learning center will open its doors, featuring a modern library geared toward teaching, with digital tablets and acoustic partitions. The IUT even has a department dedicated to educational innovation, on the lookout for new techniques that can be offered to teachers.
Here, selective training is firmly focused on information and communication technologies. This is the guiding principle that links its three DUTs (university technology diplomas) at the bac +2 level: multimedia and internet professions, marketing techniques, networks, and telecommunications. Various three-year degrees complete the range of courses on offer. These include a professional degree in networks and telecommunications, as well as two university diplomas (DU): a DU in entrepreneurship in new technologies, and the DUETI, which allows students to spend a year studying abroad after obtaining their DUT.
As a sign of its dynamism,the Béziers University Institute of Technology was one of the first to host a Fab Lab, now in its fourth year of existence. With its 3D printer, connected objects, and botanical space, this place encourages mutual aid and the exchange of skills between people from different backgrounds and generations. To round out the training, international outreach is a reality here. Each year, around 20 students go abroad, while the IUT welcomes around 20 international students.
The IUT as seen by a student
Romain Torres, first-year student in multimedia and internet professions
"Originally from Toulouse, I chose this program because I am interested in communication, audiovisual media, and programming. The IUT is small and friendly, and the building is very new and nice to look at. The atmosphere is good, even though there isn't much interaction between students from different programs.
In the first year of the DUT program, we study many different subjects and don't specialize yet, but I find that we learn a lot, especially about creative, audiovisual, and graphic design software. Another strong point, in my opinion, is the large amount of equipment available.
The student union, or "corpo," which organizes events and parties, is very active. Since the start of the 2016 academic year, there has been a student radio station that broadcasts online every Thursday evening. There are two of us running it, and five or six people are involved in the broadcasts at the moment. We cover all kinds of topics, and it's open to everyone. We hope that the radio station will grow with more participants next year.
Key figures
- 8,400 square meters
- 487 students
- 35 affiliated teachers
- 19 administrative staff
- 6 degrees
- 1992: Creation of the Marketing Techniques Department, a branch of the Montpellier University Institute of Technology.
- 2008: Creation of the Béziers University Institute of Technology (IUT) as a fully-fledged IUT
- 2011: inauguration of the new HQE building on Place du 14 Juillet
The initiative: 48 hours to coach young entrepreneurs!
The Béziers business incubator asked them to do it, and they did. Students from the marketing department organized an entrepreneurs' fair from June 8 to 10 at the IUT premises. The aim was to enable the Innovosud business incubator to support a dozen project leaders from the Béziers region over two days. This was enough to get the most promising future entrepreneurs in Béziers off to a flying start.