École Polytechnique (also known by the nickname "X") is a higher school for the training of engineers, founded by French scientists Gaspard Monge and Lazar Carnot in 1794. She earned the fame of the best engineering educational institution in France for the high level of training of specialists in the natural sciences and engineering. Today, there also offered programs in the humanities.
Ecole Polytechnique is part of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), which brings together research institutions in the field of applied and basic research.