The Réseau Figure^® (Figure acronym stands for “Engineering Education by Research Universities”) has been launched in France in 2012, as part of a programme “Investissement d’Avenir” set up and funded by the French government for a total amount of 10 M€. It is a network organised as a non-profit association of universities with the following three objectives:

• Develop goods, production systems and services engineering programmes. Specific Master degrees (CMI, “Cursus Master en Ingénierie”) and Bachelor degrees (CBI, “Cursus Bachelor en Ingénierie”) are implemented within FIGURE establishments.

• Support the implementation of Quality Assurance and Accreditation processes within the institutions which organize these programmes in France and abroad . A specific reference framework for the quality of programmes is defined and required by the Réseau Figure®, integrating European standards (ESG). A label is delivered by the Réseau Figure®  

• Establish European and International partnerships.