UM and ENSCM join forces for a common strategy and ambitions
The change in the status of the University of Montpellier, which has become an experimental public institution, has enabled the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (ENSCM) to be integrated as a component institution of the University. The first major step was the signing of a multi-year contract of objectives and commitments.
The day after it was approved by the University of Montpellier's Board of Directors, Philippe Augé, President of the UM, and Pascal Dumy, Director of the ENSCM, signed their first multi-year contract of objectives and commitment, formalizing the mutual objectives of convergence and mutualization to deploy the University of Montpellier's ambitious strategy.
" Behind what may appear to some as an institutional mechanism, the stakes are high, and are not limited to a commitment made within the framework of our MUSE I-Site," says Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.
The institutional mechanism in question is none other than the integration of the ENSCM, now included in the statutes as an establishment-component of the UM. With a special status, since it retains its legal personality, its deliberative bodies and its means of action (personnel, budgets, etc.). A key commitment is the co-signature of diplomas.
Mutual and lasting trust
This integration, which testifies to the mutual and lasting trust established in recent years between the school and the University, offers new opportunities for training, research, staff and students alike, while contributing to UM's development and outreach strategy. "The aim is to establish UM and ENSCM as part of a shared strategy, at site level, and behind a common banner, in order to obtain the resources we need to support our ambitions: to make UM one of the best universities in France, and to consolidate its attractiveness and reputation in international rankings", adds the President.
The multi-annual contract of objectives and commitments between the University and its component institution, provided for in the EPE's articles of association, is part of a shared ambition to meet a dual challenge: territorial anchoring and excellence. These two criteria are essential for international visibility, but they also ensure that the chemistry sector has a prime position under the "Université de Montpellier" brand in the fields of training, research and innovation, as Pascal Dumy, Director of the ENSCM, points out:
" This contract is the score to set our duties and rights to music, and enable the conductor to carry the shared strategy to make the achievement of common goals and ambitions a reality."
Strong, ambitious strategic objectives
The contract is structured around 3 main areas: "research and development"; "training, student life and social responsibility"; and "institutional life and administrative modernization". Its strategic objectives are to increase the scientific potential of both partners, promote the joint "Université de Montpellier" brand internationally, and enhance national and international visibility in the field of chemistry and its interfaces. In terms of training, this contract offers an attractive, coherent and enriched range of courses, including at the interfaces with other disciplines. It also contributes to the development and promotion of engineering training at the University of Montpellier. Finally, it promotes social responsibility for all users and staff.