Research activities development carried out as part of the ESI training programme, especially through the ARC (Research and Creation Workshops), and the incorporation into the ESI of regional research structures (Poitou-Charentes image scientific group), national (Conseil scientifique de la Délégation aux arts plastiques, Ministry for Culture and Communication), and international (European Commission’s IST programme) research units, demonstrates the importance placed on these activities. Additionally, the Digital Crafts doctorate scheme that includes the ESI, the University of Poitiers, and the University of La Rochelle, created in 2001, is a national and international pioneering experiment mobilising scientific, artistic and multi-discipline research. Deployed in a market where development niches become permanent fixtures, the “Digital Arts” system provides a prospecting tool that is used to survey and clear new creation paths through the digital landscape.