International Partnerships

Establishing a strategic partnership enables close collaboration with a select number of institutions, thereby creating strong synergy between these partners and the University of Montpellier. Strategic partnerships are unique in that they involve every faculty at our university. The projects developed under these partnerships encompass all aspects of academic collaboration, such as: student exchanges, scientific exchanges for students and faculty, joint thesis supervision, scientific collaborations, intern exchanges, the creation of joint programs, student and faculty participation in summer schools, the establishment of chairs for study and research, the organization of scientific conferences, and organizational management. Our strategic partners are:the University of Barcelona,the University of Heidelberg, andthe University of Sherbrooke.

In March 2017, the French government confirmed the decisions of the international jury responsible for selecting the winners of the IDEX-ISITE call for proposals. The MUSE project, “Montpellier University of Excellence,” is among the winners and is led by the University of Montpellier.

This project brings together 19 institutions around a shared goal: to make Montpellier one of Europe’s leading centers for health, agro-environment, and environmental ecology (themes: feeding, healing, protecting) and a true European hub for scientific collaboration with countries in the Global South. The preferred international strategic partners are therefore naturally those with whom the members have strong scientific ties:Heidelberg University (Germany),the University of Barcelona (Spain),Wageningen University (Netherlands), andUC Davis(United States).

The UM also works to support, in cooperation with research organizations, the efforts of its staff to build international networks of research excellence, particularly in Europe, North America, and Japan.

The existing collaboration among consortium members is thus strengthened through an approach that integrates the project’s development and implementation strategy with the University of Marseille’s international relations policy.

International agreements may be established through the ERASMUS+ program, the Erasmus Mundus European programs, the Office of International Cooperation (BCI Québec), or through inter-university partnerships led by our university.

Together, these agreements and programs support the UM’s international strategy by promoting student and staff mobility and providing a framework conducive to academic and scientific collaboration.

Please contact your department or the University of Montpellier’s International Relations Office for more information.

These may include educational partnerships (exchange programs, dual degrees, off-campus degree programs, etc.) or research partnerships. Regardless of the type of partnership you wish to establish, it is necessary to draft and sign an agreement. This agreement sets forth the specific terms and conditions for each project. This document is an administrative and legal instrument that is binding on all parties. At UM, only the President is authorized to sign it.

Contact information for partnership inquiries: The Cooperation Office of the University of Montpellier’s International Relations Department is available to provide guidance and support as you establish your international partnerships.

• Download the procedure

The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) is an international association that provides its member institutions with a powerful tool for sharing and building on experiences, facilitating the development of educational and research programs, fostering exchanges, implementing inter-university projects, and supporting research initiatives.

• www.auf.org

The European University Association (EUA) represents universities and national conferences of university presidents from 47 European countries.

The EUA has more than 850 members and plays a major role in shaping European Union policies on higher education, research, and innovation.

It is a university network founded in 1985 with the aim of bringing together long-established multidisciplinary universities that meet high international standards.

• www.coimbra-group.eu

The "Open Digital Space for the Mediterranean" project aims to gradually build a digital space that is widely accessible to all stakeholders (countries, institutions, and individuals) within the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

Its goal is to preserve and promote the legacy of Mediterranean civilization—which draws on the traditions of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs—by making the most of powerful tools such as the Internet, digital technology, information and communication technologies, and virtual communities for exchange and sharing.

• eomed.org

UNIMED, the Union of Mediterranean Universities, founded in October 1991, is an association of universities in the Mediterranean region. UNIMED aims to promote university research and education in the Euro-Mediterranean region to contribute to scientific, cultural, social, and economic cooperation. UNIMED currently has more than 100 members from across the Mediterranean region and beyond. UM has been a member of the UNIMED network since 2019.

• uni-med.net

Campus France is a public institution responsible for promoting French higher education abroad and welcoming international students and researchers to France. It encourages international mobility, administers scholarship programs, and coordinates the alumni network.

• campusfrance.org/en