Nereides: the French student project that revolutionizes maritime green tech with Solidworks

À l’Université de Technologie de Troyes (UTT), le projet Néréidess’impose comme l’une des initiatives les plus inspirantes du paysage français de la transition énergétique. Cette association étudiante a un objectif ambitieux : concevoir un bateau hybride propulsé à l’hydrogène, symbole d’un futur maritime plus propre et plus durable.
Un défi technologique, écologique… et profondément humain.

Chaque année, l’équipe participe au célèbre Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, la compétition internationale qui réunit les projets les plus avancés en matière de nautisme propre. Leur prototype, pensé et construit de A à Z, représente le savoir-faire français dans la catégorie hydrogène & nouvelles énergies.

Un bateau à hydrogène : le pari gagnant de la mobilité maritime durable

Ce qui fait la force du projet Néréides, c’est sa capacité à réunir innovation technologique et engagement écologique.

✔ Un système hybride innovant

Le bateau embarque une chaîne énergétique mêlant :

• de l’hydrogène décarboné,
• une batterie haute performance,
• des systèmes électroniques de gestion avancés.

L’objectif ?
➡ Maximiser la performance tout en minimisant l’impact environnemental.

✔ Une vision alignée avec les besoins industriels

Le secteur maritime cherche des solutions pour décarboner la propulsion. L’hydrogène apparaît aujourd’hui comme l’un des leviers majeurs… et Néréides le prouve par l’exemple.

Éco‑conception : cœur du projet Néréides grâce à SolidWorks de Dassault Systèmes.

L’un des piliers de Néréides est l’éco‑conception, indispensable pour concevoir un bateau performant et respectueux de l’environnement. Les étudiants de l’UTT ont fait le choix de matériaux biosourcés, comme la fibre de lin, et de procédés innovants pour réduire l’empreinte carbone du prototype — un positionnement parfaitement aligné avec les objectifs du Monaco Energy Boat Challenge et les exigences croissantes de l’industrie maritime.

🌱 SolidWorks, the driving force behind student eco-design

With SolidWorks, students can :

• assess the environmental impact of each component,
• optimize part weight and strength,
• reduce the amount of material used,
• test different design alternatives with a minimum of physical prototypes.

Integrated analysis tools – including Simulation, Plastics and Sustainability – enable eco-design scenarios to be compared in just a few clicks, integrating :

• energy consumption,
• source of materials,
• parts life cycle,
• end-of-life and recyclability.

The result: Néréides combines sustainable innovation, mechanical performance and reduced environmental impact, while training students in the industrial standards of tomorrow.

Why SolidWorks has become a strategic ally for responsible design

Eco-design goes far beyond the use of green materials. It requires a global vision: anticipating impacts, optimizing shapes, reducing waste, integrating reparability.
In this process, SolidWorks becomes a strategic lever.

✔ Topological optimization

SolidWorks helps the team to lighten the boat’s structure without compromising its strength. Less material = less emissions = lower costs.

✔ Multi-physics simulations

Even before manufacturing, the students test :

• mechanical stresses on the hull,
• thermal circulation around the hydrogen fuel cell,
• the strength of composite parts,
• hydrodynamics under real-life conditions.

This allows them to avoid several cycles of physical prototyping, save material and speed up development – a pillar of the low-impact approach.

✔ A standard used by green tech startups

Many hardware start-ups in the energy, mobility or 3D printing sectors use SolidWorks as their design basis… a path that Néréides could follow in its transition to student entrepreneurship.

Makers, engineers, entrepreneurs: how Néréides trains tomorrow’s talent

Néréides is more than a project: it’s a skills gas pedal.

🛠 Teaching by doing

Students become real makers:

• cockpit design and construction,
• energy calculation,
• prototyping,
• electronics,
• field tests,
• project management.

This “learn by doing” model is at the heart of UTT’s reputation.

🌍 Concrete benefits for students

Participation in international competitions, media exposure, professional opportunities…
The project has a real impact on their future.

🤝 An opening onto the professional world

Néréides collaborates with hydrogen, marine and energy companies.
These partnerships enable :

• to obtain high-tech components,
• develop 3D printing processes,
• improve boat reliability,
• to be accompanied by experts.

Ideal ground to prepare for the engineering of the future.

From association to start-up: the Néréides entrepreneurial dynamic

The Néréides project embodies a model rarely found in student projects:
combines technology, research, real prototypes, partnerships and even… entrepreneurial initiatives.

🎯 A natural platform for business creation

The Néréides ecosystem enables students to :

• learn how to raise funds,
• structuring a roadmap,
• collaborate with manufacturers,
• present their work at national conferences,
• promote unique innovations (hydrogen propulsion, eco-design, bio-sourced cockpit, etc.).

The project is now recognized as a breeding ground for green tech talent.

🔗 The role of OMC Partner

With partners such as OMC Partner, students benefit from strategic support that reinforces the professionalization of their projects.
An essential step if certain prototypes are to become tomorrow’s technological building blocks for French start-ups.

A collective adventure to promote French innovation

UTT sees in Néréides a major symbol:
that of a new generation of engineers capable of combining performance, responsibility and creativity.

The project offers :

• international visibility,
• a showcase for French excellence in hydrogen,
• a strong commitment to the energy transition,
• boosting the school’s appeal.

For the students, it’s a unique human adventure.
For the scientific and industrial community, it’s a life-size laboratory.

Néréides, a transformation engine for student green tech

With its blend of hydrogen technology, maker pedagogy, entrepreneurial spirit and ecological commitment, Néréides has become much more than just a university project.
It’s a genuine model for France’s top schools wishing to train the talents of the energy transition.

At a time when sustainable innovation is a global emergency, these students show that:
👉 the future of green tech could well be built in campus workshops and laboratories.

Want to support student innovation?

Whether you’re a company, an institution or a hydrogen enthusiast, you can contribute:

• by becoming a partner,
• by providing material or technological support,
• or by sharing this exceptional initiative.

Néréides isn’t just a boat:
is a vision, an energy, a team…
and perhaps the next French green tech startup.