Dassault Systèmes, French Ministry of National Education, and Indian Technical Institute JSSATEEstablish Academic Partnership

Creation of Product Lifecycle Management Competency Center to provide PLM training and development in India

Paris, France, and Noida, India – April 8, 2003 - Dassault Systèmes (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced an educational agreement with the French Ministry of National Education and the Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara Academy of Technical Education (Noida) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, (JSSATE(N)) to teach Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) skills to Indian engineering students.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dassault Systèmes will provide the JSSATE(N) with CATIA®, its leading PLM solution for collaborative product development. The French Ministry of National Education will provide a specialized PLM professor to train JSSATE(N) instructors and students. In turn, the JSSATE(N) will create a Product Lifecycle Management Competency Center (PLMCC), add PLM-related courses in its curricula, and develop new PLM software applications and methodologies.

“This partnership is extremely important because it ensures that Indian students will have access to latest PLM technology available on the market,” said Professor K.S. Jagadeesh, principal, JSSATE(N). “PLM is changing the way businesses produce their products. It is critical that our students have the competitive PLM skills to take their place in the Indian manufacturing sector.”

“The Product Lifecycle Management Competency Center will act as a link between the French and Indian educational systems,” said Pierre Charles, project leader for the French Ministry of Youth, National Education, and Research. “In addition to enabling French instructors and researchers to interact with their Indian counterparts, the PLMCC will also serve to advance French technology, education, and culture in India.”

“This agreement brings together the best of the east and west,” said Francis Bernard, Executive Committee Advisor, Dassault Systèmes. “India’s brightest engineering students will learn about PLM using Dassault Systèmes cutting-edge solutions. It will give them the hands-on expertise required to break into the workforce, while providing India’s manufacturing sector with the highly-skilled workers it needs to compete on the international scene.”

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