The National Engineering School of Tarbes (Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tarbes - ENIT)

is an engineering school mainly oriented on engineering and manufacturing. ENIT belongs to INPT (Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse), which is a group of five Engineering Schools of the Region "Midi-Pyrénées". The studies last for 5 years with two main specialities: mechanical engineering and computer integrated manufacturing; there are approximately 900 students and 300 staff in the school at present.

The research laboratory of ENIT is called "Laboratoire Génie de Production (LGP)". Its Director is Pr. Daniel Noyes. The laboratory groups around 80 persons and is composed of three teams:

Material engineering which main research axis are:
- tribology, especially concerning ceramics (automotive and medical applications)
- adhesion (for mechanical engineering applications),
- corrosion under constraints (mainly aeronautical applications).
Mechanical Engineering working on:
- simulation using finite element methods (especially in case of important deformation)
- high speed machining (especially control of vibrations when machining thin walls)
- control of parts without contact (laser, and so on).
Computer Integrated Manufacturing with main areas of work include:
- dependability and risk management
- lesson learnt, knowledge engineering and competence management
- simulation, planning and scheduling of distributed manufacturing systems
- motion, virtual reality and robotics
- Supervision and control.

Technical University of Clausthal (TUC), Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMW), Germany

Founded in 1775 and elevated to the status of a mining academy in 1864, the Harz Mountain educational institution rapidly achieved an international reputation. Thus, in the mid-19th century, one half of its students came from North and South America, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

Research and education at the Technical University of Clausthal (TUC) are currently concentrated on material sciences, mechanical engineering, process engineering, information engineering, as well as studies which expressly combine the economic, natural, and engineering sciences to form a well-balanced qualification profile for new professional fields. With about 90 professors, 420 scientific employees, and some 2800 students, the Technical University of Clausthal possesses a clear-cut structure, which is well suited for interdisciplinary research. This competency has repeatedly been confirmed by leading positions in rankings which appraise research and education at German universities. With a share of 30 per cent for students and doctoral candidates from foreign countries, the Technical University of Clausthal also occupies a leading position in the international field among German universities.

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Stuttgart, Germany

The “Fraunhofer Gesellschaft