The UdeM delegation included the Vice Rector for Community and International Partnerships at Université de Montréal, Valérie Amiraux, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Frédéric Bouchard, and the Managing Director of UdeM International, Virginie Allard-Caméus. They were welcomed by Camille Galap, President of Université Paris-Saclay, Delphine Placidi-Frot, Vice President for International and European relations, and Mehran Mostafavi, Vice President for Research at Université Paris-Saclay.

Université de Montréal is one of Université Paris-Saclay’s longstanding partners, and is the Quebecois university with which the university shares the greatest number of co-publications. It is also the second top destination choice for students from Université Paris-Saclay for outgoing mobility stays. The two universities share a lasting history of cooperation, particularly in basic science, mathematics and AI, political science and law, with the signing of several framework and exchange agreements since 2013.

The delegation’s visit was also the opportunity to finalise the signing of a strategic partnership agreement, including the creation of a joint seed fund to support projects coordinated by teams from Université Paris-Saclay and Université de Montréal. Funding will be awarded in priority to research projects, but other projects will also be eligible for funding, including meetings aimed at launching joint academic programmes, the creation of shared innovative pedagogical material, short-term teaching mobilities and other structuring initiatives. All disciplines are eligible for funding but priority will be given to projects linked to medicine, law, mathematics, basic sciences, artificial intelligence and materials science. Each university will finance the fund equally.

The meeting also allowed the two institutions to reaffirm their desire to continue their work together, by encouraging an increased number of jointly supervised theses and study or work placement mobilities. The two universities were also able to celebrate the launch of a new exchange agreement in paediatric medicine this summer, as well as an Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility funding which was awarded in July 2024 to support said exchange agreement.

Photo: Valérie Amiraux, Vice-Rector, Community and International Partnerships, Montreal University, and Camille Galap, President, Paris-Saclay University.