On July 4 2013, the University of Grenoble PRES (Center for research and higher education) entered into the second partnership contract in its “Grenoble Innovation University” campus operation (the first contract, operation “GreEn-ER”, was signed on 20 July 2012).

The contract with the PILSI services project company, made up of FIDEPPP 2 and the GCC and IDEX Energies companies, is for the partial financing, design, construction, operation and major maintenance for three university centers: PILSI (software and intelligent systems innovations, for digital science; EDD (Environment  and sustainable development); for earth sciences; and BEeSy, the environmental and systems biology center.  The project represents 21,000 m^2, estimated at €70 million. The PILSI center was designed by DHA Architectes. Amplitude Architectes designed EDD and BEeSy.

Through the research themes involving these three centers : climate change, impact on living organisms, production efficiency, effluent control – as well as Green IT, which involves energy consumption control through data calculation, simulation and storage, Grenoble University is exemplary in advocating responsible construction and operational modes.

The project obtained the support of the DFE savings fund which contributed €10 .1 million to finance the project.  The credit granted by the DFE will be reimbursed by PILSI Services through payments from the PRES obtained through interest of the campus endowment.
The Crédit Foncier de France and the Caisse d’Epargne et de Prévoyance de Rhône-Alpes banks will finance the project.

Dentons advised the Grenoble University PRES, with partner Marc Fornacciari and associate Dorothée Griveaux for public law, and partner Jean-Marc Allix for financing.