In the afternoon of June 18, 2021, a delegation of UTSEUS students and teachers had the opportunity to visit Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai (Minhang), a world leading company in its domain.

At the beginning of the visit, Mrs. Hélène Grussaute, director of Saint-Gobain Research Shanghai - "SGR Shanghai" -, presented the Saint-Gobain group as a whole. Saint-Gobain designs, produces and distributes high-performance materials to provide consumers with innovative solutions. These materials and solutions are used in all aspects of construction, transportation, infrastructure and industrial applications, and therefore closely related to our daily lives.

Mrs. Hélène Grussaute presented then some representative projects of the group, related to sustainable development, innovation capacity strengthening, etc. As a company with a 350-year history, Saint-Gobain is constantly renewing itself, which allows the company to always remain at the forefront. SGR Shanghai, established in 2005, is one of Saint-Gobain's diversified global R&D centers. In close cooperation with various business units, SGR Shanghai develops more than 12 new products every year and files more than 15 patents.

Finally, Mrs. Hélène Grussaute shared with UTSEUS students and teachers some examples of new products, bringing the most advanced information of the industry.

SGR Shanghai had also invited several Chinese graduates or students who had carried part of their studies in France to present their experience. Two of them - who went through UTSEUS and then UTs - were able to talk to the younger UTSEUS students about their studies, internships and related experiences after being recruited or having done their internship there.

After the exchange, UTSEUS teachers and students were invited to visit the R&D laboratories of SGR Shanghai, allowing them to visualize and sometimes to "touch" the innovations, in a close contact with the "future".

Let's thank again SGR Shanghai, Mrs. Hélène Grussaute and her team, for their hospitality and the opportunity given to UTSEUS to visit a very innovative company, at the forefront of scientific and technological developments.