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

[Article] - Published on September 14, 2019 in Faculties, Schools, and Institutes, Student Life

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

With more than 52,000 students spread across 17 faculties, schools, and institutes, plus a component institution, ENSCM, the University of Montpellier offers a multidisciplinary range of courses: agriculture and food, law and political science and administration, economics and management, education, technology, engineering, health, and science...
Working in close partnership with stakeholders in the socio-economic world, it provides lifelong learning and enables each student to freely build their career path. In a world where the fields of application of knowledge are constantly evolving, studying at UM is an opportunity for everyone to train for the jobs of tomorrow and enter the professional world.

In terms of research, from space exploration to robotics, ecology, and chronic or infectious diseases, the scientific community at the University of Montpellier is inventing solutions for the future, serving humanity and the environment. The institution is committed to promoting cutting-edge research by forging close ties with industries in the region, particularly in the biomedical and new technology sectors. Dynamic research is conducted in close collaboration with research organizations and benefits from high-level technology platforms to meet the needs of 21st-century society. High-performance research in France and internationally, where UM ranks among the world's best universities: in the top 200 of the Shanghai ranking, with second place worldwide in the field of ecology. It is also the leading French university in the Reuters ranking ofthe most innovative universities.

A major success for the entire Montpellier scientific community, the University of Montpellier's I-Site program of excellence is a tremendous catalyst for the future of the entire site and for its visibility on the national and international stage in the fields of health, the environment, and agronomy. Behind these themes lie three vital challenges for the coming century, aligned with the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change; three challenges that lie at the heart of our university: feeding, caring for and protecting. To meet these challenges, thousands of researchers have joined forces in the largest research project ever imagined on the site.
And to go even further, and to ensure that UM and its partners are committed to a shared strategy in the long term, on January 1, 2022, the University became an Experimental Public Institution (EPE) with new statutes allowing the project partners to be integrated into the University's governance, including ENSCM, which is now a component institution.

The University of Montpellier also boasts an exceptional real estate portfolio. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean metropolis, with more than 500,000 m², the various sites are all located near the tramway and form a veritable campus network. This real estate portfolio is also a prestigious heritage. Indeed, 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 Botanical Garden, a real gem for nature lovers and botany enthusiasts, is just one example among many. And while the UM is fully integrated into the city of Montpellier, it also has a presence in various 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 its sites, it maintains privileged relationships with the various players in higher education and research in the region.

Above all, the University of Montpellier is a community of women and men comprising more than 5,000 staff members (teachers, researchers, and administrative personnel) who work daily to successfully carry out the missions of higher education and research with a strong sense of social responsibility. Resolved to preserve its expertise—combining quality teaching with innovative and independent research—the University of Montpellier has, for example, committed to a policy of quality recruitment by publishing its OTM-R charter in favor of transparent recruitment and, in 2015, obtained the European "HR excellence in research" label. Because the University has a duty to be socially and environmentally responsible, it is also actively committed to combating 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 energy-efficient renovation of its real estate assets. Its efforts have been rewarded with a significant rise in the 2024 edition of the Times Higher Education international rankings, where UM ranks first among French institutions. Impact Rankings, which ranks universities according to their commitment to the major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Finally, in a changing and increasingly globalized society, the University of Montpellier has forged a unique identity for itself, closely linked to key societal issues. Deeply committed to being a universalist, humanist, and globally-minded university, closely linked to city life and involved in the major challenges of our time, it can now draw on the support of all the women and men who contribute every day to making it a center of excellence.

Keywords: Campus, Students, Training, High school students, University