Electrolab

Mission & Vision

Electrolab’s mission is to open the doors of science and technology to everyone. By sharing technical knowledge with the public and leading hands-on initiatives that spark curiosity and promote science and technology, Electrolab empowers people to explore, learn, and innovate. Together, Electrolab and their participants create collaborative projects with meaningful impact across cultural, humanitarian, scientific, artistic, and technical fields.

Electrolab offers a free, interactive learning space, known as the “Hackerspace”, in Nanterre, where people of all ages get hands-on experience with technology and industrial tools. In its 16,000 ft² workshop, participants can experiment with sewing machines, laser cutters, Python coding, microcontrollers, and more—encouraging them to build, modify, and “hack” tools and machines to understand how they work. By providing the space, tools, and guidance for discovery and creation, Electrolab brings communities together while fostering practical skills that participants can carry into school, work, and everyday life.

Actions Led

Electrolab runs a range of hands-on initiatives that bring people together to experiment, create, and solve real-world challenges. These include:

• Workshops for women — Coder au féminin (Women in Coding): training participants in mobile app creation using AppInventor, with each session ending in a conversation with a woman working in a scientific field.
• The Futur.es scientifiques project (Future Scientists): launched in 2024, reaching 800 children across four schools and in recreation centers, in partnership with the Latmos laboratory.
• The Discovering Careers at Electrolab project: introduced to middle school students in Nanterre in the 2024–2025 school year, welcoming about ten classes to the lab.
• Parent-child workshops: held around Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and more, alongside creative activities such as building a DC Robot game (a replica of the famous 1980s game Dr. Maboule) or Electraudio (making “sound drawings” using a graphic pencil connected to an electronic device and a small speaker).
• On-site training at Electrolab: introducing and certifying members in the use of machines such as 3D printers and laser cutters.
• Theoretical training: regular sessions on electronics, programming, and open-source software for members as well as interested participants from outside the association.
• Project mentoring at Electrolab: welcoming and guiding groups of young people—with a focus on gender parity—in developing their interest in science and technology, helping them refine their academic orientation, strengthen their skills, and carry long-term projects forward.

Projects That U.S. Donors Can Support

U.S. donors can make tax-deductible donations in support of Electrolab to contribute to promoting science and technology by organizing conferences, content events, and workshops accessible to the general public (schoolchildren, etc.). The association promotes learning and experimentation by providing in one place the theoretical and practical tools needed to understand and master the technology, as well as to discover different professions and techniques.