Africa, one of our priorities
Among the major events of 2021, Montpellier will host the New Africa-France Summit on October 8, providing a unique opportunity for the University of Montpellier and its partners in the I-SITE MUSE (Montpellier University of Excellence) project. It will be an opportunity to illustrate why and how Montpellier's higher education, research, and innovation ecosystem is a true gateway between the African and European continents.
And it is through four days of scientific events, organized ahead of the Summit, that the University of Montpellier and its partners have chosen to highlight the strong and concrete partnership between the African and Montpellier academic communities. Montpellier Global Days will take place from October 4 to 7, 2021, both in person and online, and will welcome researchers, teacher-researchers, Professors experts from France and across Africa for the occasion. This is a highlight and eagerly awaited event for Montpellier researchers and teachers and their African partners, who see it as recognition of their commitment.
Long-standing and strong ties between Montpellier and Africa
The University of Montpellier and its partners at I-SITE Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE) have made Africa an international priority. This is not a recent development, as the density of partnerships and exchanges with the Mediterranean basin, and more broadly with Africa as a whole, dates back centuries. Today, this is explained in particular by the presence in Montpellier, alongside the university, of French and international research and teaching institutions that are particularly focused on partnerships with the southern Mediterranean (Cirad, IRD, CGIAR, Ciheam). These strong and long-standing ties are now reflected in numerous collaborations in research, innovation, and training, and in a wide variety of academic activities designed to address challenges related to the environment, food, and health. In terms of training, for example, the Montpellier university site welcomes an average of 5,000 African students each year, including 400 doctoral researchers. These are young researchers looking to the future and determined to continue this collective momentum on the African continent.
Montpellier, a true gateway between Europe and Africa
To nurture, nurture, and protect, Montpellier's entire academic and scientific ecosystem has rallied to support and promote the capabilities of African institutional actors in research, higher education and vocational training, and innovation, in conjunction with international institutions. "The University of Montpellier and its partners at I-SITE MUSE are now recognized as major players in strengthening ties between African, French, and European academic communities," says Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier .He added: "Montpellier has positioned itself to support the development, with our African partners, of a collective intelligence for tomorrow's world."
A unifying dynamic built within the I-SITE MUSE project and led by the University of Montpellier, ranked among the top 200 universities worldwide, has mobilized the Professors 6,000 researchers and Professors to address three major and interdependent challenges of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change: Feed – Care for – Protect. These major challenges for the planet are also part of the process of building an internationally recognized university, which leads François Pierrot, Executive Director of I-SITE MUSE, to say that "Montpellier's hosting of the New Africa-France Summit is a form of recognition for the University of Montpellier and its partners, who are key players between the two continents in higher education, research, and innovation."
Montpellier Global Days for Science, Education & Innovation: Africa 2021!
Montpellier Global Days is a four-day event dedicated to higher education, training, research, and innovation, showcasing our partners and the wealth of scientific and academic collaborations. Experts, researchers, and project leaders will share their work, thoughts, and commitments around six themes: International Health – One Health, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Water, Food Systems, and Technologies for Feeding, Caring, and Protecting during parallel sessions on the first two days. The following two days will focus on cross-cutting and forward-looking discussions, with a specific focus on strengthening partnerships and structuring expertise and forward-looking capacity to respond to the challenges addressed by the MUSE project, from the perspectives of science, innovation, and economics. "These days will certainly allow us to show what we are doing in relation to the African continent, but above all they will be an opportunity for dialogue and co-construction with a view to the future,"summarizes Patrick Caron, UM Vice President for International Relations.