The Lafayette Institute will be built at Georgia Tech-Lorraine in Metz, which is at the forefront of global engineering education and research.

At 2 p.m. on Nov. 30 in the Bill Moore Student Success Center, Georgia Tech leaders and a delegation of French officials will sign the agreement creating the Lafayette Institute. The event is part of the “France-Atlanta 2010: Together Towards Innovation” series running now through Dec. 12 at Georgia Tech and around the city.

“By providing our industrial partners and academic research laboratories access to state-of-the-art facilities, we will be creating an environment where solutions to global challenges, ranging from energy to medical technology, can be developed,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “This Institute also underscores Georgia Tech’s commitment to expand our global partnerships.”

French authorities will finance 23 million euros, roughly $31 million in American money, to create the Lafayette Institute. The institute will provide access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication facilities for optoelectronics, technology transfer and commercialization services. It will focus on technologies at the intersection of materials, optics, photonics, electronics and nanotechnology.

“This European innovation hub will strengthen Georgia’s global footprint in technological innovation and serve as a link between research laboratories and industry, where technological solutions and prototypes can be developed rapidly to stimulate economic development,” said Yves Berthelot, president of Georgia Tech-Lorraine.

Established in 1990, Georgia Tech-Lorraine offers global research and internship opportunities, and year-round undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs. More than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students have attended Georgia Tech-Lorraine.

Georgia Tech has celebrated the 20th anniversary of Georgia Tech-Lorraine in Metz, France and Atlanta throughout 2010.  

To conclude the commemoration, Georgia Tech is hosting nine of the 20 events in “France-Atlanta 2010: Together Towards Innovation,” a series of events focused on French and U.S. collaborations in four major areas: science, business, culture and humanitarianism.

“France-Atlanta: 2010 Together Towards Innovation” is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of France in Atlanta and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Georgia Tech events include scientific symposiums such as “Translational Treatment for Cardiovascular Disease,” “Photonics, Materials, Nanotechnology, Applied Robotics” and “Haiti 2010;” business workshops such as “Bridging the Atlantic: Leveraging Workforce and Intellectual Capital for International Business Success,” “Investing in France – Focus on Lorraine” and “Commercializing Medical Devices.”

Tech will also host cultural events such as “Sonic Generator Presents Music of IRCAM with Guest Composer Philippe Leroux” and “Paris-Atlanta: Grand Plans, Everyday Life,” as well as a humanitarian program on “Bringing Awareness to Haiti Relief Aid.”

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend the events, which are free and open to the public. For a full list of the events at Georgia Tech, visit, www.global.gatech.edu/france-atlanta.