A collaborative platform for doctoral students worldwide
To contribute to efforts to feed, care for and protect people and the planet, two world-renowned institutions, the University of Montpellier and the University of Pretoria (South Africa), have joined forces in a project for a global collaborative doctoral training platform called "Nourrir, protéger, soigner". The platform was officially launched at Africa Week on May 23, 2023, from the University of Pretoria's Future Africa Centre.
To meet today's global challenges, set out in documents such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the University of Montpellier and the University of Pretoria are focusing on better training for tomorrow's scientists. With this in mind, they are launching a collaborative doctoral training platform bringing together more than fifteen other higher education establishments from 12 countries on 5 continents. Their aim: to create a global community of young researchers specializing in sustainability, offering them opportunities to internationalize their training and develop lasting networks of expertise and influence.
On May 23, a first meeting of the steering committee chaired by Heide Hackmann (University of Pretoria) and Patrick Caron (Université de Montpellier) launched this transformative long-term initiative. Through these equitable global partnerships, the University of Montpellier is contributing to a more inclusive and collaborative approach to knowledge sharing and innovation development.
Sustainable food systems
The first phase, covering the academic years 2023-2024 and 2025-2026, will focus specifically on building sustainable food systems on a local and global scale. In this first cohort, 30 PhD students from the partner institutions will be able to collaborate in an interdisciplinary way to think about and lead a transformation of food systems in favor of sustainable development. They will have the opportunity to take part in face-to-face events, and benefit from training and networking opportunities on cross-cutting issues at the science-policy-society interface. Virtual events and ongoing exchanges via a dedicated digital research environment are also planned. At the end of their doctoral studies, these students will become members of the nourish, protect, care alumni network. The platform may be extended to new universities and other themes in phases II and III.
IDéES project
At the University of Montpellier, the "Nourrir, protéger, soigner" global doctoral platform is being implemented as part of the international component of the IDéES project, financed by France 2030 and managed by the international support and attractiveness department of the Direction des programmes structurants (DPS). The two UM scientific leaders of the platform are : Karen Lambert-Cordillac, lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, UMR Phymedexp and Patrick Caron, researcher at ART-DEV, VP of the CGIAR and director of the MAK'IT institute.
By focusing on the themes of "nourishing, caring for and protecting", this platform fits in perfectly with the scientific project of our I-SITE excellence program.
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