Delegation from Université Laval of Quebec

More than 70 researchers from the Côte d’Azur region and members of the governance team of Université Côte d'Azur met for three days to discuss current collaborations and suggest new ones on topics of common interest closely tied to strategic local issues. 

After a first governance meeting to assess the progress accomplished in projects co-funded by the Initiative of Excellence of Université Côte d’Azur in the framework of Sentinel North, of the International Associated Laboratory “Arts, Society and Wellness”, of the Chairs of Leadership in Women’s Health Education and Pedagogical Design, of the Infocritique training program, and of collaborations in international and European law (UNESCO Chairs, Jean Monnet Chair, EMOJIE network and Visiting Professors Program), the visit focused on four themes: 

• Aging and well-being, with the presentation of the Aging Well 2 project, a visit to the Fragility platform, the presentation of the Ulysseus Aging and Well-being Innovation Hub and a visit of its Living Lab.
• Artificial and digital intelligence, with the presentation of the 3IA institute and two of its chairs, the DS4H Graduate School, the joint degrees with Laval University, the I3S laboratory and other ongoing collaborative projects. 
• Risk, resilience and sustainable territories, with the presentation and visit of the Institute of Innovation and Partnership IMREDD (Mediterranean Institute for Risk, Environment and Sustainable Development), the presentation of the MSc Risk program, the research units Space and GeoAzur and the Academy of Excellence "Space, Environment, Risk and Resilience".
• Cultural and creative industries, with the presentation and visit of the Georges Méliès Campus dedicated to the cultural and creative industries, the CREATES Graduate School and its core projects (Campus of trades and qualifications, XR2C2 Reference Center, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technologies (EIT) Culture and Creativity).  

At the closing governance meeting, Rector Sophie d'Amours and President Jeanick Brisswalter once more emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership between both institutions. Also, in addition to new thematic collaborations in chemistry (ICN), agroecology (ISA) and physical therapy (IFKM), three major targets were identified for the year 2023-2024: 

• A shared strategy in Europe in the framework of Horizon Europe and the European University Ulysseus.
• The sharing of practices in line with the sustainable development goals, under the strong leadership of top-ranked Université Laval. 
• The sharing of practices contributing to the development of Université Côte d'Azur's regional innovation ecosystems and of transdisciplinary themes through the deployment of Academies of Excellence.   

Thus, with the coming year filled with Horizon Europe seminars, an Ulysseus cooperation agreement and thematic visits, the partnership promises to be as rich as in previous years.