The history of CPE Lyon since 1883

ESCIL (ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLE DE LYON)

ESCIL was founded in 1883 with the support of the Lyon Chamber of Commerce. Its first director was Jules Raulin, a student of Pasteur. its goal is to train engineers for the booming chemical industry in the Lyon region

His successors included Victor Grignard, winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1912, and Marcel Prettre, founder of the Institut of Catalysis.

Marcel Mérieux and Louis and Auguste Lumière are among the school’s trustees. Since then, many engineers have distinguished themselves in teaching, research and industry. ESCIL was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the Ministry of War for exceptional services to the nation

ICPI (LYON INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS)

ICPI Lyon was founded in 1919 by Professor Lepercq as part of the Catholic University of Lyon. The famous car manufacturer and influential industrialist, Marius Berliet joined the first board of directors.

ICPI Lyon began as a School of Chemistry before opening an Electronics and Information Processing section in 1958 to meet the new needs of industry.

Armed with their technical skills, backed up by a solid human training, our alumni succeed in the world of industry. They go on to hold senior positions in important companies.

In 1994, ICPI and ESCIL merged and CPE Lyon is the result

 CPE stands for Chemistry, Physics and Electronics

At the heart of France’s chemical and electronics industries, CPE Lyon was born out of a shared desire among local authorities to have a leading engineering school in the Rhône-Alpes region.

These include: the Rhône General Council and the Regional Council, the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, regional industrial companies (notably through the Maison de la Chimie Rhône-Alpes), the Lyon and South-East Science Foundation, the Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, the Catholic University of Lyon and the CNRS.