I-SITE Excellence Program

Certified in 2017 and renewed in 2022, the I-SITE program of excellence brings together 16 institutions with a shared ambition: to establish Montpellier as a leading research university, internationally recognized for its impact on societal issues such as food security, environmental protection, and human health. During the five-year trial period, significant changes have been initiated in each of the major areas of academic life. These actions, which until now have been carried out within the framework of the Montpellier University of Excellence Foundation, are now fully integrated into the activities of the University of Montpellier's departments and services.

Scientific ambition and support for research

The program aims to address three interrelated challenges:

1. promote ecologically innovative agriculture, contributing to food security and environmental quality;
2. encourage the transition to a society that manages its resources and environment sustainably;
3. improve human health in changing environments.

While sciences dealing with topics related to agriculture, the environment, biodiversity, biology, and health are therefore at the heart of the program, the ambition is to continue transforming the way we work and to build new bridges between these sciences and other disciplines that contribute to Montpellier's strength.

The I-SITE excellence program funds the four extended Labex programs at the University of Montpellier (Cemeb, Agro, Entreprendre, NUMEV) and the two lab'UM programs in chemistry and epigenetics, which will continue their activities until their completion.
It supports the structuring of research at the consortium level by contributing to the operation of the five Research Poles Research their scientific outreach activities for the corresponding communities.
It aims to promote the submission of a greater number of proposals to the ERC by funding awareness-raising, training, and support activities for the writing of ERC projects.

The excellence program involves an ambitious research support program and a clear commitment toscientific attractiveness.

Educational transformation and support for innovation

The Training component of the Excellence Program covers several areas.
Launched in 2017, the doctoral college at the University of Montpellier continues to operate in line with the institution's overall strategy for research-based training, benefiting all students in the doctoral schools concerned.

The program supports the structuring of training at the consortium level, which will rely in particular on the newly created collegiums to promote joint actions between the consortium's departments, schools, and institutes and enhance the visibility and clarity of the training offered by UM and its partners.

The program also supports educational transformation in all higher education institutions within the consortium through initiatives to raise awareness and educate students about the challenges of ecological transition, enriching curricula and teaching practices, and providing support to Professors the joint educational innovation support service.

The I-SITE program of excellence supports the educational transformation program.

Strategic international partnerships and support for international activities

International outreach is one of the key features of this investment program for the future. Montpellier University and its partners in the I-SITE program of excellence have chosen to bring thematic, institutional, and programmatic initiatives to life through special ties with universities in both the North and South in areas relevant to their scientific ambitions. Numerous strategic partnerships have been forged to explore opportunities for global initiatives, such as the organization of Montpellier Global Days as part of the New Africa-France Summit, the MAK'IT Institute for Advanced Knowledge, and Key World Initiatives on key themes for the consortium (viruses and vectors, food systems, water).

The I-SITE program of excellence encompasses the EXPLORE international mobility program, the Key World Initiatives program, and the MAK'IT Institute.

Research and innovation marketing

The overall ambition is to create more lasting, high-quality connections between the world of higher education and research and the socio-economic world.
The I-SITE program of excellence brings together consortium partners around a common strategy of partnerships with economic actors in order to encourage technological and societal innovation. Every effort is made to ensure that actors in the innovation ecosystem work in synergy and complementarity in terms of skills development, innovation marketing, process alignment, etc.

The I-SITE excellence program supports the Companies and Campus program and the innovation booster.

Student initiatives

In order to offer activities that complement existing initiatives, the I-SITE program of excellence for student life aims to promote interculturality among students. This objective contributes to the achievement of one of the post-trial period commitments of the MUSE project, which aims to promote the internationalization of education. In this context, the aim is to offer students the opportunity to put their English skills into practice or improve them outside of their studies, while enabling them to develop intercultural awareness.

The I-ISITE excellence program supports student initiatives.

Scientific culture

This action concerns the strengthening of initiatives for sharing knowledge and dialogue, but also for sharing methods, results, scientific issues and questions, specifically aimed at young people or school audiences. Actions to disseminate scientific culture will be deployed in connection with "ongoing research" within the consortium.

The I-ISITE excellence program supports initiatives promoting scientific culture.