The University of Montpellier remains mobilized in the face of Covid-19
For several months now, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced institutions to adapt their operations to new constraints.
Continuity of teaching and increased support for students in difficulty, continuation of remote working in departments and protection of essential on-site staff, continuity of research and support for partner companies... Montpellier University successfully organized itself during lockdown and is now continuing with its plan to resume activities.
Since March 16, the University, like the rest of society, has had to adapt to unprecedented rules. There have been many urgent issues to address, starting with the organization of educational continuity for the 49,000 students enrolled at UM. Students with disabilities have not been forgotten; the Handiversité service and the joint preventive medicine and health promotion service (SCMPPS) remain available to answer everyone's questions.
Thanks to the mobilization of all teaching staff and the IT and Digital Systems Department (DSIN), distance learning was rolled out in record time via the Moodle platform andthe UM'sdigital workspace (ENT). Numerous books, journals, and databases that are normally available for consultation were made accessible by the shared documentation service. Loan and return counters were set up in university libraries, operating by appointment.
Exams have already begun in many departments. We have focused our attention on the issues of internships, mobility, and enrollment, and solutions have been found thanks to the crucial commitment of teachers and directors of departments, schools, and institutes. Our efforts are now focused on organizing the start of the academic year in September.
Supporting students in difficulty
Business continuity has, of course, been dependent on digital access for all. Nearly 350 computers provided by the Occitanie region have been distributed since April 16 by the university's logistics and campus life departments. €6,000 in digital connection assistance has already been allocated to the most disadvantaged students to subscribe to a plan, modify their current plan, or purchase a 4G dongle. Amendments to internship agreements and support for students on international mobility programs were quickly put in place.
To go further and support those most severely affected by the crisis, the UM's student initiative solidarity and development fund (FSDIE social) has already released more than €150,000 in social assistance and simplified the allocation procedures to make them effective in less than 24 hours. This measure is in addition to the exceptional €200 aid offered by the State to students in precarious situations who have lost an internship or job, as well as to overseas students who have remained in mainland France.
The SCMPPS continues to provide medical and psychological consultations by telephone, as does the university health center (CSU), which offers its services on site or remotely. Measures to combat isolation have also been put in place, enabling students to adapt their sporting activities thanks to the "On continue de bouger" (Let's keep moving) website set up by the SUAPS, or to discover cultural content offered via the art & culture department's Facebook account.
Supporting staff
From the start of lockdown, a steering committee was formed around the university president, Philippe Augé, to ensure the administrative and institutional functioning of the institution in dialogue with the Health and Safety Committee. Remote working was encouraged whenever the situation allowed, and here again, the DSIN's intervention was decisive in setting up a secure and functional digital environment.
For employees whose presence on site is essential, all recommended protective measures have been implemented by the directors of each department. Masks, visors, and hand sanitizer have been provided where necessary. Daily monitoring continues to be carried out to keep a detailed record of staff present on site. In these difficult times, the human resources department and the UM's support staff (occupational physicians and psychologists, clinical psychologists, coaches, social service assistants, disability advisors) remain more attentive than ever to the needs of staff.
Since May 11, the plan to resume on-site activities has been activated. Employees who were unable to work remotely have been able to gradually return to the workplace in accordance with the specific rules put in place by the institution: limiting the number of people working simultaneously in the same department, supervising meetings and gatherings while continuing to favor electronic communications, and limiting public access to priority activities only. To date, approximately 15% of the workforce has returned to in-person work.
Maintain research activities
More than ever, research is at the forefront of everyone's minds, and Montpellier's scientific community has demonstrated its excellence since the beginning of this crisis. At this time, the urgent priority is, of course, to find an effective treatment. Examples include the coordination of randomized trials on the effects of hydroxychloroquine by Professor Jacques Reynes at Montpellier University Hospital and antibody research conducted bythe Montpellier Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IRIM). Screening is another essential area where innovation plays a key role, as demonstrated by the work on automated reading of rapid saliva tests in the Montpellier-based sportech project Vogo, which brings together the CNRS, Montpellier University Hospital, the Sys2Diag laboratory, and the biotechnology company SkillCell.
Numerous studies conducted in our laboratories are also helping us to better understand the origin and nature of the virus we are facing. This is the case with phylogenetic tracing using the PhyML software developed by Stéphane Guindon from the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics and Microelectronics (LIRMM). Others are focusing on improving global health surveillance, such as the European Mood project, which involves researchers from 25 institutions, including the University of Montpellier and CIRAD. In addition, a key initiative on COVID-type infectious diseases could be launched soon, with the aim of considering ways to prevent such epidemics, taking a broad view of the issue, from the source (animal reservoirs) to human diseases, including the pathways that viruses use to evolve from one environment to another.
More generally, it is all of the researchers who, in record time, have been able to reorient their ongoing research projects to acquire new knowledge about Covid. I-SITE MUSE is providing €250,000 in overall financial support to these teams.
In sectors less affected by the epidemic, restrictions on on-site work and the development of teleworking have also been implemented to ensure staff safety. Only activities that would have resulted in a loss of essential research if interrupted have been maintained. For the 24 start-ups on campus, the university decided to exempt them from charges in order to support them during this particularly difficult time for young companies. As with administrative and technical staff, since May 11, the business recovery plan has allowed researchers to gradually return to their laboratories.
Solidarity with healthcare workers
Beyond its walls, the University of Montpellier has also turned its solidarity efforts towards healthcare workers by organizing a collection of medical supplies. The research teams from the CNRS, Inserm, Cirad, Inrae, IRD, ENCSM, and the University of Montpellier, which make up the 120 structures of the MUSE consortium, mobilized en masse in Montpellier and Nîmes, along with other teams in the region (notably in Perpignan and Banyuls-sur-Mer). Gloves, masks, and gowns were collected and delivered to staff at Montpellier University Hospital under the leadership of Research Mercier, Vice President of the University of Montpellier in charge of Research .
The FabLabs at the Montpellier-Sète and Béziers University Institutes of Technology and the Pro3D platform (Polytech) are making a valuable contribution by manufacturing protective visors for healthcare workers and, now, UM staff.