Innovation Day - 1st Anniversary of the Louis Braille Campus

On November 14, 2025, the Louis Braille Campus brought together more than 500 disability advocates in Paris. Hosted in the Duroc neighborhood at the National Institute for the Blind Youth and organized by the three founding associations (Valentin Haüy, Voir Ensemble, and apiDV), the event marked the first anniversary of the Louis Braille Campus. Public officials, researchers, industry representatives, organizations, startups, and international partners gathered to take stock of the initiative’s progress and define its direction for the coming years. The role of innovation as a driver of inclusion and independence was reaffirmed.

A strategic and engaging morning

The morning began with a song performed by Laëtitia Bernard, a journalist at Radio France and secretary general of the Campus. She highlighted the urgent need to improve accessibility, citing relevant statistics. The presidents of the founding associations and institutions—INJA, AVH, APIDV, and Voir Ensemble—then emphasized the demographic challenges ahead and the need to prepare for a significant increase in visual impairment.

Charlotte Parmentier Lecocq, Minister Delegate for People with Disabilities, reaffirmed the government’s commitment. Santosh Kumar, President of the World Blind Union, emphasized the role of assistive technologies in promoting independence on an international scale. Xavier Musca, President of the Campus, and Thibaut de Martimprey, Director, presented a review of the first year. Twenty startups were incubated, and an international network was established. The first strategic partnerships were signed. AGEFIPH, the Malakoff Humanis Foundation, Wavestone, and Accenture confirmed their support.

Three projects carried out in partnership with the Institut de la Vision, Dassault Systèmes, and the International Alliance for Innovation were highlighted as projects for the future. Discussions focused on sensory interfaces, 3D engineering, and international cooperation. Jürgen Dusel, Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Matters relating to Disabled Persons, announced the launch of a Franco-German partnership dedicated to research.

Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France Region, announced that the Louis Braille Campus has been designated a major hub for innovation. She also confirmed that 800,000 euros in funding will be provided to help finance a 2-million-euro phase of construction work scheduled to take place on the campus in 2026–2027.

The morning concluded with a presentation of the Campus’s flagship projects. A musical interlude by pianist Yakir Arbib highlighted this key moment. The first class of ten Campus ambassadors was then unveiled. The segment concluded with the broadcast of an episode of the France 5 documentary series *À vous de voir* dedicated to the Louis Braille Campus.

An afternoon focused on practical innovation

After lunch, participants explored the Campus facilities during guided tours. The afternoon continued with a session looking ahead to the lives of people with visual impairments in 2040. The incubated startups then presented their solutions.

An international segment highlighted major global trends in accessibility. The projects presented focused on education, culture, sports, and mobility. Guidance technologies, audio navigation, and artificial intelligence took center stage. The presentation of the new incubatees demonstrated the dynamism of the ecosystem.

At the same time, six thematic workshops provided an opportunity to explore in greater depth issues related to artificial intelligence, mobility, education, international cooperation, visual heritage, and universal design. Researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and engineers worked together in a spirit of collaboration.

Conclusion

By combining institutional reflection with technological demonstrations, this anniversary edition reaffirmed the Louis Braille Campus’s mission: to make innovation a concrete driver of inclusion and to actively contribute to building a more accessible future in France, Europe, and around the world for the more than 250 million blind and visually impaired people.

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