For more than 8 centuries, the University of Montpellier has been inventing the future!

[Article] - Published on September 14, 2019 in BVE & MDE, Faculties, schools and institutes

A multi-disciplinary, research-intensive university, the University of Montpellier brings together a vast community of knowledge.

With more than 52,000 students in 17 faculties, schools and institutes, plus the ENSCM, the University of Montpellier offers a multi-disciplinary range of courses: agriculture and food, law and political science and administration, economics and management, education, technology, engineering, health and science...
In close partnership with players in the socio-economic world, it provides lifelong training and enables each student to freely build his or her career plan. In a world where the fields in which knowledge is applied are constantly evolving, studying at the UM is an opportunity for each and every one of us to train for the professions of tomorrow and to integrate into the world of work.

From space exploration to robotics, from ecology to chronic and infectious diseases, the scientific community at the University of Montpellier is inventing solutions for the future, in the service of mankind and his environment. This cutting-edge research is promoted by close links with local industries, particularly in the biomedical and new technologies sectors. Dynamic research, conducted in close collaboration with research organizations and benefiting from high-level technological platforms, to meet the needs of 21st-century society. A high-performance research environment in France and internationally, where the UM ranks among the world's top universities: in the top 200 of the overall Shanghai ranking, with second place worldwide in the field of ecology. It is also the leading French university in the Reuters ranking of the most innovative universities.

A major success for the entire Montpellier scientific community, the University of Montpellier's I-Site excellence program is a tremendous boost for the future of the entire site, and for its visibility on the national and international scene in the fields of health, the environment and agronomy. Behind these themes lie three vital challenges for the century to come, aligned with the United Nations' Agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change; three challenges that are at the heart of our university: feeding, caring and protecting. To meet these challenges, thousands of researchers have joined forces in the largest research project ever imagined on the site.
And to take things even further, and to ensure that the UM and its partners are part of a shared strategy for the long term, on January 1, 2022, the University became an experimental public establishment (EPE), with new articles of association to integrate the project's partners into the University's governance, including the ENSCM, which is now an establishment-component.

The University of Montpellier also boasts exceptional real estate assets. Situated at the heart of the Mediterranean metropolis, with over 500,000 m², the various sites are all located close to the tramway, creating a veritable campus network. This real estate heritage is also a prestigious legacy. The Faculty of Medicine, founded in 1220, was one of the first to appear in the West, making it one of the oldest faculties still in operation. Its Jardin des Plantes, a veritable jewel for nature lovers and botany enthusiasts, is just one example. And while the UM is fully integrated into the city of Montpellier, it is also present in other towns in the region. It thus contributes to a genuine territorial network in Occitanie, with a presence in Béziers, Carcassonne, Mende, Nîmes, Sète and Perpignan. At each of these sites, the company maintains close ties with the various players involved in higher education and research in the region.

Above all, the University of Montpellier is a community of men and women made up of more than 5,000 employees (teachers, researchers, administrative staff) who work daily to ensure that the missions of higher education and research are carried out in a socially responsible manner. Determined to preserve its know-how - linking quality teaching with innovative and independent research - the University of Montpellier has, for example, committed itself to a quality recruitment policy by publishing its OTM-R charter in favor of transparent recruitment, and in 2015 was awarded the European "HR excellence in research" label. Because the University has a duty to be socially and environmentally responsible, it is also actively engaged in the fight against gender inequality, disability discrimination, racism, anti-Semitism and LGBT+ phobias. It also implements a proactive policy in terms of quality of life at work, social, artistic and cultural action, and sustainable development, notably through a vast investment program in the energetic renovation of its real estate assets. Its efforts have been rewarded by a clear rise in the 2024 edition of the Times Higher Education international ranking, where the UM is in first place among French establishments. Impact Rankings, which ranks universities according to their commitment to the major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Last but not least, in a society that is changing and becoming increasingly international, the University of Montpellier has forged a unique identity, in line with major societal challenges. Deeply committed to a university that is universalist, humanist and open to the world, closely linked to the life of the city and involved in the major challenges of its time, it can today rely on all the men and women who contribute every day to making it a place of excellence.

Key words : Campus, Students, Training, High school students, University