Renewal of French Universities: Balancing Competition and Cooperation

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Renewal of French Universities Balancing
Competition and Cooperation

• JP Finance,
• Nancy-Université/Université Henri Poincaré and
  CPU
• 21-06-2008

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Nancy and the Lorraine
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Universities in Lorraine

• Nancy
• Creation in 1572 (Art, Theology, Medicine and
  Law)
• 1850 ? 1968 4 faculties (law, medicine -
  pharmacy, sciences, humanities) and 6 engineering
  schools,1 school of management and 3 schools
  independent of the university (forestry,
  architecture, arts)

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Birth, death and resurrection of the french
universities

• 13th Century First universities in France
• 1793 suppression of 22 universities
• From1793 to 1968 no real universities in France
  professional écoles (Polytechnique, Centrale,
  ) and independent faculties (law, medicine,
  humanities, sciences) Fragmentation of small
  structures
• Lack of critical mass to face the new challenges
  of research ? creation of national research
  bodies CNRS created in1930 followed by INSERM,
  INRA

21 juin 2008
Nancy-Université, coopération et compétition
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Universities in Lorraine (3 in Nancy)

• Nancy 1970 ? 2008 Creation of 3 real
  universities (public institutions, legal
  personality)
• Henri Poincaré, Nancy1 sciences, technology
  (including 3 engineering schools), health. 19 500
  students, 2 700 staff including 1 500 academics
• Nancy 2 humanities, law, economy, management. 18
  000 students, 1 300 staff including 650 academics
• INPL 7 engineering schools, 3 500 students. 1
  100 staff including 650 academics

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Universities in Lorraine ( 1 in Metz)

• Metz (60 km from Nancy)
• ? 1972 A university branch of Strasbourg
• 1972 ? 2008 new university, comprehensive (but
  without health sciences), no school within the
  university, 16 000 students

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Universities in Lorraine

• 1970 ? 2001
• Facets of competition
• Creation of new study programmes leading to
  redundancies, especially between Nancy and Metz
• Access to same regional funding sources

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Universities in Lorraine

• 1970 ? 2001
• But also aspects of cooperation
• In Nancy many research labs are shared
• Graduate schools (écoles doctorales) created in
  1999 7 out of 8 are shared by the 4 universities

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Universities in Lorraine

• 1970 ? 2001
• As elsewhere in France, difficult relationship
  with the national research bodies (partnerships
  and competition)
• Shared labs universityCNRS, universityINRA,
  etc
• But
• who would own intellectual property?
• who would manage research contract?
• to whom would publication be accounted to?

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Trends
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Over the last 15 years

• Four-year contracts ? emergence of institutional
  strategies, notably in research
• Shared labs with the national research bodies
• Creation of doctoral schools ( 300), incubators
  to support innovative start-ups
• Emergence of a regional development policy
• Bologna process and the creation of the
  bachelor/master/doctorate
• LOLF

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A strategic approach for neighbouring
institutions The PRES (April 2006 law)

• To avoid needless competition ? a forum for
  building consensus and regulation
• To reinforce visibility ? identification and
  communication
• To reach critical mass and increase scientific
  impact
• PRES a lever to develop cooperation

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Developing the accountability of institutions and
researchersOther aspects of the April 2006 Law

• Creation of ANR project-based funding (promote
  competition and comparison)
• Creation of AERES independent evaluation

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Nancy-Université
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Objectives

• To develop a comprehensive university
• To reinforce transparency and attractiveness
• To optimise resources
• To increase critical mass
• To share, merge and reinforce services and
  activities in order to do more, better and
  quicker
• To coordinate and develop ambitious strategies

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A series of steps

• Establishing an identity for Universités de
  Nancy 2001
• Implementing a shared 4-year contract in
  2005-2008 focused on a common research strategy
• Initial agreement creation of the
  Nancy-Université federation (December 2005)
• Contractual agreement founding a structure (Nancy
  EPCS, November 2006)
• A decree creating the EPCS of Nancy-Université
  Mars 2007

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EPCS

• Why?
• A stepping stone toward the future Université de
  Nancy
• A formal step
• Missions
• Organise the strategic development on behalf of
  the three institutions
• Speed up the merger of administrative services
• Prepare the next contract with the State
  Negotiate contracts with partners, on behalf of
  the founding institutions
• Promote student mobility within Nancy and
  coordinate student support services
• Develop activities to increase international
  visibility

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Nancy-Université soon the only university in
Nancy ??

• 43 000 students
• 5 500 staff 2 900 academics, 2 600
  administrative
• 10 écoles, 5 IUT, 7 faculties
• 69 nationally recognised labs
• 7 Ecoles doctorales
• 400 study programmes, 17 000 degree awards
  delivered annually
• Consolidated budget 415 M
• Buildings 670 000 m2

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The Law on University Autonomy and Accountability
LRU, August 2007
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Renforcer lautonomie et la responsabilité des
universitésLoi LRU

• Transfer of the States competences toward
  universities law of decentralisation
• Administrative approach ? based on a logic of
  projects and contracts. Reinforces efficiency,
  attractiveness and innovative capacity
• Enhances the emergence of institutional strategy
  promotes competition
• State is no retreating 10 ? 15 Bn in 5 years,
  Plan campus (5 Bn in Public/Private
  Partnerships)

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Some characteristics

• Efficacy of decision-making processes
• Creation of foundations
• Flexibility in hiring (several types of contracts
  are possible unlimited/limited)
• Flexibility in managing financial resources
• Creation of start-ups

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The PRES Lorrain
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Nancy Universitéand the PRES Lorrain

• PRES Lorrain A PRES coordinating Nancy and
  Metz, created in summer 2008. To avoid needless
  competition and define shared strategies
• The backbone of a regional HE and research
  strategy, based in two cities, comprehensive and
  open to the socioeconomic environment
• Toward a single university in Lorraine, based in
  two cities? In any case, will to increase
  strongly cooperation

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By way of a conclusion
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Evolution of the French higher education and
research system

• Until 2000 Fragmentation continues
• Needless and unnecessary competition
• Few regulatory mechanisms
• Wasteful on the public purse
• Little responsiveness of a system that is very
  bureaucratic and with little readability

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Evolution of the French higher education and
research system
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Merci