International Focus and Maritime Specialisation: Bretagne INP/ENIB in the Brest–Goa (India) Dynamic

A dual degree with a foreign institution is nothing new at ENIB…

"Indeed, we offer over 25 dual degree pathways with several of our 100 international partner institutions. Some partnerships, such as those with Brazil and Quebec, are particularly active," explains Mikael. As for India, "the exchange starts with the goal of sending and receiving 2 to 3 students per year in each direction — ENIB to IIT Goa and IIT Goa to ENIB."

Mikael Guégan, Director of International Relations at Bretagne INP/ENIB

The winning duo: international exposure and specialisation

“ENIB is a general engineering school. In addition to sending students outside the EU, these collaborations provide them with a specialisation”: civil and military aeronautics with ITA[1] in Brazil, video games, computer science and cybersecurity with UQAC[2] in Quebec, industrial and logistics engineering with UNCUYO[3] in Argentina, etc. “For several years, we’ve been aiming to move into marine science and technology. The collaboration with IIT Goa is a step in that direction.”

Quality and continuity over quantity

The goal isn’t to send or host entire cohorts. The approach is personalised. For each programme, 1 to 3 students are involved. “With Argentina, for example, we’ve been sending two students per year for 25 years, and we also receive two students in a fully reciprocal or alternating manner.”

Such exchanges do come at a cost for the students, and Bretagne INP/ENIB supports aspiring globe-trotting engineers in applying for scholarships. Depending on the partnership, additional support is available: “At IIT Goa, our students will have access to on-campus accommodation and dining facilities. In certain countries with lower security, our partners pick up students upon arrival.”

A bilateral partnership

While students from Brest will study at IIT Goa for three semesters (including an internship in the third), students from Goa will complete their final year (M2) at Bretagne INP/ENIB. While the former will specialise in marine science and technology, the latter will focus on either intelligent and autonomous systems computing or photonics.

Diagram of the bilateral M.Sc Dual Degree. Credit: ENIB

“Our key asset for this dual degree programme is that all courses are taught in English.”
No language barrier — and perhaps an opportunity to open this Master of Science Dual Degree to other countries as well.

A springboard for Indo-French research

“This dual degree pathway leads naturally to research and strengthens existing scientific cooperation. It’s a catalyst for the master's + PhD track!”
It’s also a springboard for internships and careers in industry through major companies such as Naval Group, which is also a GOAT consortium member.

A partnership under the GOAT framework

“Led by the École Navale, the institutions within the Campus mondial de la mer community signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Goa in January 2020.”
Then everything paused: the GOAT project’s activities and stakeholders were confined due to the pandemic. In 2022, Sea Tech Week® marked a major revival of the partnership. The Week of Marine Science and Technology welcomed India as the country of honour, with a large delegation of Indian experts in attendance.

India is set to return for the 2024 edition of this flagship event hosted by the Campus mondial de la mer. “For ENIB, this was the turning point. It required alignment between programmes,” given the significant differences in higher education systems between the two countries.

Signing of the agreement between ENIB and IIT Goa in 2024, during Sea Tech Week®. Credit: Technopôle Brest-Iroise

A collaboration with India aligned with national ambitions

Franco-Indian relations are strong. Proof of this: 2026 has been designated the India-France Innovation Year.

We hope for a long-term, sustainable collaboration between Bretagne INP/ENIB and IIT Goa. Both Directors of International Relations, Mikael Guégan (Brest) and Sharad Sinha (India), are fully committed to making it happen!

[1] Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil

[2] Université du Québec (UQAC), CHICOUTIMI, Canada

[3] Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCUYO), MENDOZA, Argentina