The Université Côte d’Azur Foundation launches "Le Cercle": a strategic platform bringing together research, business, and policy-making

In a context marked by major transformations—including technological, environmental, and societal shifts—opportunities for in-depth reflection are becoming increasingly rare. The Cercle aims to address this need by offering a confidential, structured, and impact-driven setting.

An inaugural launch at the Château on the Valrose campus

The Cercle was officially inaugurated on March 9, 2026, at the Château on the Valrose campus, during a dinner attended by some sixty prominent figures from the business, academic, and institutional worlds. At the invitation of Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur, and Mathieu Garotta, President of the Université Côte d’Azur Foundation, this first gathering laid the groundwork for a dynamic initiative designed to endure over the long term.

Several prominent figures spoke during the evening, including:

• Jean-Luc Allavena, President of Atlantys Investors, former Chief of Staff to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Honorary President of HEC Alumni;
• Pierre Gattaz, President of Universcience Partenaires, CEO of Radiall, and former President of Medef;
• Dr. Justine Lipuma, CEO of Mycophyto and graduate of Université Côte d’Azur.

Le Cercle: A Laboratory for Ideas and Action 

 Le Cercle aims to foster convergence between academic excellence, economic power, and regional engagement, in order to contribute to major contemporary transitions.
Through Le Cercle, the Université Côte d’Azur Foundation seeks to create a space of trust where thinkers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers come together. The university can serve as a hub for fostering collaborations and concrete projects that benefit the region and the public interest. Mathieu Garotta, President of the Université Côte d’Azur Foundation

Through this initiative, Université Côte d’Azur becomes the first French university of excellence to establish a strategic platform bringing together researchers, business leaders, and public policymakers with a clear focus on impact and action. Le Cercle thus reflects the evolving role of major international universities, which are called upon not only to produce knowledge but also to foster the synergies capable of accelerating economic, scientific, and societal transformations.

Today, major universities have a responsibility that goes beyond the production of knowledge: they must help foster dialogue between research, the economy, and society. With Le Cercle, Université Côte d’Azur affirms its commitment to serving as a catalyst for convergence to support the major transitions of our time. Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur

A community of committed stakeholders

Le Cercle brings together a deliberately limited group of members selected for the quality of their commitment and the scope of their contribution. It includes, in particular:

• business leaders and strategic economic partners;
• patrons and major supporters of the Foundation;
• institutional leaders and founders of transformative projects;
• leading faculty members and academic figures;
• alumni actively involved in the initiatives of Université Côte d’Azur.

Three goals: think, act, and make an impact

The Circle is organized around three core pillars:

• THINK: To generate strategic reflection on major scientific, economic, and societal transformations, notably through publications such as the Cercle’s Cahiers and strategic briefs;
• ACT: Accelerate concrete initiatives stemming from research and innovation through a venture philanthropy approach, engaging members in the University’s impact initiatives and foundational projects;
• RAYONNER: Strengthen Université Côte d’Azur’s positioning as a hub for the convergence of knowledge, innovation, and regional engagement, both nationally and internationally.

By fostering this convergence between research, the economy, and regional engagement, Le Cercle aims to become a key driver of influence, innovation, and concrete cooperation for the Côte d’Azur.