Sopra Steria, a major player in European tech, announces the signing of a letter of intent with the École de l’air et de l’espace (EAE) to enter into a Framework Agreement for scientific and technical cooperation. The aim of this collaboration is to strengthen joint research into information systems, artificial intelligence and human-system interaction in the aerospace field.
The École de l’air et de l’espace, a public institution of higher education under the supervision of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, trains all French air force officers and is supported by a renowned research center, the CREA (Centre de Recherche de l’École de l’air et de l’espace). The latter explores the transformation of aerospace systems and their military uses.
For its part, Sopra Steria, through its subsidiary CS GROUP – France, has a long-standing commitment to the major programs of the defense industrial and technological base (BITD), particularly in the air and space sectors. CS is already working with CREA on a number of projects, such as anti-drone systems.
Through the perspective of a cyber-socio-technical system combining human interaction and advanced technologies, this project will draw on joint research in signal and image processing, artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology, in order to advance the state of the art on their interactions.
Data and information fusion, knowledge engineering and autonomous agents will be at the heart of the work, while advances in quantum computing and cryptography will be key to guaranteeing security and performance. By crossing disciplines, the project will guide the design of environments where sensors (active or passive), artificial intelligence (machine or symbolic learning) and humans (decision-makers, information sources or system designers) will interact effectively, optimizing decision-making in complex contexts, notably aerospace.
Applications targeted by this ambition include anti-drone warfare, in its various components and functions, simulation and interaction between sensors, artificial intelligence and human factors for command and control systems.
In addition to the scientific aspects, the agreement could also encourage cross-training between academia and industry, with Sopra Steria hosting interns, Sopra Steria employees taking part in EAE courses and co-supervising doctoral theses.
“This partnership with the École de l’air et de l’espace illustrates our commitment to putting technology at the service of responsible sovereignty and innovation. By combining academic excellence and industrial know-how, we are helping to develop breakthrough solutions in key areas such as artificial intelligence, cyberdefense and complex systems engineering. It is in this collaboration between science and operations that the European technological superiority of tomorrow will be built”, declares Pierre Lopez, CEO of CS GROUP, a subsidiary of Sopra Steria.
“This structured cooperation with a key player like Sopra Steria reinforces our ambition in terms of innovation and applied research, and the actions we have already undertaken together. It will enable us to cross-fertilize the skills of Sopra Steria and our teacher-researchers to explore the technological fields critical to the air and space operations of the future”, emphasizes Air Force Major General Pierre Réal, Director General of the École de l’air et de l’espace.
This partnership is fully in line with Sopra Steria’s ambition to strengthen European technological sovereignty, based on responsible innovation and collaboration between academic research and industrial excellence.
