One of its early professors, Victor Grignard, obtained the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1912 for his invention of the organo-metallic compounds known as "Grignard's reagents". After the Second World War, ENSIC introduced to France chemical engineering principles developed in the English-speaking world.
The school created a foundation in December 2008 to support its activities, called Fondation ENSIC, with the participation of Arkema.