École nationale supérieure de chimie de Montpellier

The École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier, or ENSCM, is one of the French Grandes Ecoles, situated in Montpellier. Although it may share academic staff and research activities with the University as well as research bodies such as CNRS, the ENSCM has a particular status as an independent body with its own research laboratories. Teaching chemistry in Montpellier started in 1676 with the creation of the first chair of chemistry at the University of Medicine. Later on, in 1803 the School of Pharmacy was established with a chair of Chemistry and then the Faculty of Science in 1809. The original Institute of Chemistry was founded in 1889 in order to gather the professors who were teaching the same subjects in different Faculties. In 1934, it left the old historic centre to settle in larger and more functional new buildings. It also acquired new facilities on a second site, 3 kilometers away from the main one, called "La Galéra", which is equipped with a kilo-lab and on a third site, close to Montpellier 2 University: the "Institut Européen des Membranes". Since 2017, the ENSCM has moved into its new premises within the Pole Balard Formation located on Avenue du Professeur Emile Jeanbrau, just beside the "Institut Européen des Membranes".