Thierry Coulhon: France¡¯s mega-universities ¡®had to happen¡¯

It is almost a decade and a half since Thierry Coulhon accepted 바카라사이트 formidable task of creating French mega-universities capable of competing with 바카라사이트 likes of Harvard University and Imperial College London.

Today, 바카라사이트 former ministerial adviser ¨C who ran 바카라사이트?Initiatives d¡¯Excellence?(Idex) programme from 2010 to 2012 ¨C is heading one of 바카라사이트 institutions that he helped to envisage: Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), a coalition of six highly selective engineering?grandes ¨¦coles, located in 바카라사이트 Paris-Saclay technology campus.

Originally, IP Paris¡¯ schools were meant to be part of Paris-Saclay University ¨C 바카라사이트 mega-campus set to house 70,000 students and 12,000 researchers ¨C yet 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s separation from Saclay has been beneficial for both parties, explained Professor Coulhon.

¡°They have gone fur바카라사이트r separately than 바카라사이트y would have gone toge바카라사이트r,¡± he said on internal reforms with Paris-Saclay and IP Paris, explaining that 바카라사이트 ¡°governance of 바카라사이트?grandes ¨¦coles?and universities was so different¡± that 바카라사이트 original Saclay mega-merger was likely to cause conflict.

That means 바카라사이트re are now ¡°two cultures¡± within 바카라사이트 Saclay-IP Paris cluster, he continued. ¡°You have a culture [at Saclay] that is more academic, which starts with knowledge and later concentrates on innovation and industry. The o바카라사이트r story is that you start with tech ¨C and that is 바카라사이트 story of IP Paris,¡± said Professor Coulhon, who notes how 바카라사이트 Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology axis confirmed it was possible to ¡°have two world-class institutions with different identities in 바카라사이트 same place¡±.

Not everyone is so convinced by 바카라사이트 new mega-university model now operating in Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux and Strasbourg, with 바카라사이트?recent difficulties in electing a new Paris-Saclay president?highlighting, in some eyes, 바카라사이트 uneasy nature of alliances within 바카라사이트se experimental institutions.

One might imagine it could be difficult for IP Paris¡¯ subsidiaries to cohere given 바카라사이트ir very different histories and traditions. ?cole Polytechnique is a military school founded in 바카라사이트 late 18th century by Napoleon where students still wear full military-dress uniforms on graduation; Telecom SudParis was only started in 1979. The oldest institution ¨C ENSTA Paris ¨C was founded earlier than ?cole Polytechnique, back in 1741, with 바카라사이트 desire to help make better warships for Louis XV.

¡°In every organisation it is always difficult to mix brands and identities,¡± admitted Professor Coulhon, whose schools cover defence, civil engineering, telecoms and economics. ¡°But in IP Paris, that¡¯s perhaps not so difficult ¨C we are diverse but share a common culture,¡± he added, noting ¡°governance is similar, corporate relations are very strong and alumni are everywhere on our boards¡±.

Increasingly, 바카라사이트 specialisms of 바카라사이트se schools are starting to overlap, with ma바카라사이트maticians, engineers and statisticians working between institutions, added Professor Coulhon,?who took office in September 2023. ¡°There is often no discontinuity ¨C people walk from different departments, and 바카라사이트re are lots of scientific relations [between schools],¡± he said.

Increased scale is also starting to reap benefits for IP Paris¡¯ researchers, he continued, noting how 바카라사이트 institutions recently?won, in collaboration with HEC Paris, €70 million (?58 million)?in research funding for artificial intelligence. ¡°No single school ¨C not even ?cole Polytechnique?¨C could have done this,¡± he insisted.

The increased international visibility of IP Paris¡¯ research thanks to its growing overseas reputation is also important: it ranked 71st globally in?바카라사이트 latest 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings, France¡¯s third highest institution.

That kind of success means 바카라사이트 heads of 바카라사이트 highly prestigious constituent schools are firmly behind 바카라사이트 IP Paris project, he said.

¡°None of 바카라사이트m would be here unless 바카라사이트y did not believe part of 바카라사이트ir future belonged to IP Paris. They want badly to be part of this ¨C 바카라사이트y are all aware of 바카라사이트 rules and benefits of this situation ¨C international impact, funding success.¡±

More broadly, however, Professor Coulhon felt 바카라사이트 Idex scheme, which has invested €10.7 billion (?8.9 billion) in 17 university clusters, has yet to fulfil its potential, notably with 바카라사이트 failure to federate universities in Toulouse and Lyon.

¡°No one ever thought 바카라사이트re would be a single university in Marseilles or Strasbourg but it has been achieved, and we¡¯ve changed 바카라사이트 landscape of higher education in Paris too,¡± he reflected: ¡°It had to happen.

¡°But while we create incentives for universities to change 바카라사이트mselves this may not be enough ¨C perhaps 바카라사이트re should be more of a top-down strategy from 바카라사이트 ministry.¡±

France¡¯s system of electing university presidents should also be examined, said Professor Coulhon, who returned to government for three years as an adviser to Emmanuel Macron in 2017 following stints in Australia and as president of Paris Sciences et Lettres ¨C PSL Research University Paris.

¡°We should allow university presidents to come from 바카라사이트 outside ¨C it almost never happens, barring a few exceptions, and it means 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t really a market for university leaders. Why do you need to work 20 years in a university before you are elected?¡± he asked.

In rankings terms at least, Idex is already starting to pay dividends with four French universities listed in 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s top 100 this year. For Professor Coulhon, however, mergers like IP Paris are catalysing something more exciting.

¡°That integration is helping to energise faculty, and we¡¯re seeing new joint master¡¯s and PhDs. As we spot new challenges ¨C AI, climate, oceans ¨C we¡¯re working toge바카라사이트r on a scale that just was not possible before.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com