A new way of structuring a large university

On July1, two of UM's flagship projects were selected for inclusion in the new IdEx and ISITE section of the Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir (PIA3). With an additional allocation of 23 million euros, the UM is continuing on its path towards becoming a major research university with close links to education.

UM2030 and UMGS for " University of Montpellier Graduate School ", these are the names of the two projects successfully presented by the UM to the international jury of the Programme d'Investissement d'Avenir(PIA3) as part of the " Grandes Universités de Research " action. A lot of acronyms for two very concrete programs that aim to pursue and finalize the transformation effort initiated by the University since 2017 and the award of the ISITE label.

12 million for training through research

Immerse students in research laboratories from the Master 1 level and, eventually, from the undergraduate level. This is the DNA of the new " University of Montpellier Graduate School " (UMGS), which will be launched at the start of the 2021 academic year in response to the " Structuring training through research in initiatives of excellence " (SFRI) call for projects.

Twelve months of the two-year Master's program will be devoted to learning about research in a laboratory or in one of UM's partner companies. " Our aim is tostrengthen the links between master's-level training and research in our laboratories, so as to give our students the keys to seizing the opportunities of tomorrow's world ", explains François Pierrot, Executive Director of MUSE and Vice-President in charge of innovation.

Nine Masters courses

Students interested in this new training offer will initially be able to choose from nine multi-disciplinary Masters courses taught entirely in English. " These UMGS-labeled courses will be part of existing fields of study, while facilitating and amplifying bridges between disciplines. A student in ecology wishing to specialize in biodiversity conservation will be able to access law units much more easily than is currently the case," explains Agnès Mignot, who is in charge of "Supporting the establishment's research-related projects".

The funding obtained will, among other things, enable us to give greater recognition to the Master's program's partner researchers, to fund PhD students so that they can play an important role in this training program, and of course to support the laboratories, as Agnès Mignot points out: "We're going to ask them to take on many more students, who will have to be rewarded, and this will represent an essential part of our budget".

11 million for the "UM2030" integration project

In line with the development of MUSE, the UM2030 program is a response to the IDéES call for projects. " Integration and development of IdEx and ISITE ", in which the UM is proposing large-scale actions to meet five major challenges. Gender equality with the " Beyond HRS4R " program, aimed at increasing the number of women in leadership positions in research centers and administrative departments. Sustainable development through " Green Initiatives ", to raise awareness among staff and students of the need to reduce their impact on carbon emissions, and the " Data Science for All Sciences " program, for a sustainable transformation of digital practices.

International attractiveness is also at the forefront with the " Strategic International Partnerships " program. The aim? To make the UM a key player on the international stage in the three fields of : Nourish-Care-Protect. Last but not least, the " Innovation Campus " plan will strengthen the links between the University and the local innovation ecosystem. For François Pierrot, " this funding of 11 million will enable us tofinalize the structuring of a major university, the pivot of a partnership-based ESR [higher education and research]system anchored in its territory, and resolutely committed to global competition in the knowledge economy."

Continuing our " collective efforts

The total of €23 million is in addition to all the resources already committed to the University by the PIA since 2011 (Labex, Equipex, ISITE, etc.). Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, explains: " We are currently awaiting the jury's recommendations to finalize these two projects and obtain final validation of the funding by the jury. These additional resources will help us to continue our collective efforts to build Montpellier into a major research university with a strong, unique identity that is recognized worldwide.