Création de l’INSA Lyon

Their story.

Welcome to INSA Lyon. Welcome! To understand the history of our school, we must go back to 1957. The European Union was just beginning to take shape, and the need to train more engineers was becoming apparent. Jean Capelle and Gaston Berger then envisioned the first engineering school accessible after the baccalaureate, based on academic records.

The creation of INSA Lyon was conceived as a national experiment. Its innovative model, combined with on-campus housing, was intended to broaden access to engineering education for families from social backgrounds that had previously been excluded from such programs. On campus, this ambition takes on a unique form: that of a true “city within a city,” where students can devote themselves to their studies while developing other skills.

The Lyon region is the ideal location for this national initiative, situated at the heart of a major industrial region and a vibrant academic environment. Today, the schools of the INSA Group continue Gaston Berger’s pioneering vision: to train “humanist engineers.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• Gaston Berger is not only the founder of “Prospective”—a method that involves envisioning the future to inform today’s decisions—but he is also the father of Maurice Béjart, a leading figure in contemporary dance.
• Before the tramway arrived in 2001, the campus was enclosed by a gate that marked the boundary with the city of Villeurbanne. Today, the campus is designed to be open, blending seamlessly with the city.
• When it first opened its doors in November 1957, INSA Lyon welcomed 300 students into buildings that had barely been completed. Completed in just seven months, these structures were part of a vast urban renewal project in a long-neglected area. A real gamble!