Back to school: NTN supports three student projects that drive innovation and industrial progress
- Annecy - Corporate - Organisation
By supporting ambitious student projects every year, NTN passes on its expertise, stimulates tomorrow's innovation and helps train the talent that will shape the industry of the future. These partnerships illustrate a deep-rooted conviction for the group: the future of industry depends on exchanges between businesses and higher education.
This year, three flagship projects demonstrate this commitment: the Altaïr bicycle, the PITON programme and the Shell Eco-marathon.
The Altair project: an ultra-fast streamlined bicycle
NTN is proud to support the Altaïr bicycle project led by students from the Annecy University Institute of Technology. It pursues an extraordinary challenge: to design a human-powered streamlined bicycle capable of reaching unprecedented speeds. In 2023, with multiple world champion François Pervis, Altaïr 7 reached 139.89 km/h, setting a world university record and becoming the second fastest bicycle in history.
This year, the students are working to improve the bike's speed, with a clear goal: to break the absolute record of 144.17 km/h at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge 2025 next September in Nevada.
The Altaïr 7 bike is a concentrate of technology, aerodynamics and ingenuity. As a key sponsor, NTN Europe is contributing its expertise in precision mechanics, materials and reliability to help optimise the bike.
This project embodies performance, eco-design and team spirit – values that fuel NTN Europe's vision of the industry of the future.
Piton Project: combining engineering, marketing and digital technology
This year, NTN Europe joined the PITON programme, in partnership with the University of Savoie Mont Blanc. PITON (Parcours d'Innovation Transdisciplinaire Ouvert sur le Numérique) is a unique initiative in which students and companies work together to develop concrete solutions combining engineering, marketing and digital technology.
This year, a team of three students worked with NTN Europe on a strategic challenge: redesigning an electric micromotor for autonomous vehicles, while meeting performance and space constraints.
In six months, they designed a promising prototype that won the USMB Foundation Prize. A second prototype is currently in development.
This partnership perfectly illustrates how bringing together businesses and young talent can lead to innovative solutions for the mobility of tomorrow.
Shell Eco-marathon: designing the car of the future
NTN Europe also supports students from the INSA engineering school in Lyon in the Shell Eco-marathon challenge. This international competition brings together the engineers of tomorrow to tackle a challenge: designing an ultra-energy-efficient vehicle while maintaining comfort and ergonomics.
NTN provides technical support for the design by helping students develop a freewheel and supplying adaptation parts. The assembly went well and the tests were conclusive.
Their prototype will be presented at the NTN stand during the Mouvindustrie trade show, which will be held on 11 September at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit.
By contributing its technical expertise and testing facilities, NTN is supporting students in developing a responsible, forward-looking car concept. This project embodies our desire to actively contribute to more sustainable mobility by focusing on collaborative innovation.
"By supporting these student projects, NTN is helping to train future engineers. This contributes to the overall development of society and helps to train future employees. This approach also allows its R&D departement to stay connected to real technical challenges, while experimenting with new solutions in real-world conditions."
Partnerships to strengthen the image of an innovative and committed manufacturer
By supporting these initiatives, NTN Europe is affirming its role as a key partner in student training and its commitment to responsible and sustainable innovation.
These collaborations are win-win:
- For students: with privileged access to the expertise, equipment and technical resources of an international industrial leader.
- For NTN Europe: an opportunity to stimulate its R&D, enhance its appeal to young talent and promote its image as an innovative player, firmly rooted in the challenges of tomorrow.
Through these three programmes, as well as other European programmes such as Formula and Moto Student in Spain, NTN Europe is affirming its ambition: to co-build the industry of tomorrow with the talents of tomorrow.
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