UPPA obtains I-SITE national label with the E2S project - Energy and Environment Solutions
Published on May 23, 2017
The goal of the "Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir" (PIA) call for projects is to help France's higher learning and research gain in international visibility and competitiveness in the areas of innovation and technology. French institutions competed in the IDEX and I-SITE calls for projects, which selected those who were recognized for their excellence and high potential. Laureate of the second PIA I-SITE (Science, Innovation, Territories, and Economy Initiative), UPPA is now part of this club.
On February 20th, 2017, the E2S project, lead by a consortium uniting the University of Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Inria and INRA, was auditioned by the international PIA jury. On February 24 2017, the President of jury, before the the steering committee, presided by the ministry of National Education, Higher Learning and Research, presented the eight projects which were selected:
- 1 IDEX : Lyon/ Saint-Etienne
- 7 ISITE : Lille, Clermont, Paris-Est, Pau et Pays de l’Adour, Montpellier, Nantes and Cergy.
Among the eight projects, some will be subjected to conditions that will be evaluated in two years. UPPA is not part of this group. The E2S project was accepted without any reservations.
For further improvement, the jury provided the following recommendations:
- Define and apply a number of rules to specify the relations between the socio-economic sector to guarantee the academic integrity and credibility of the institutional model aimed for at the end of the 10 year period;
- Diversify and extend the industrial partnerships;
- Reinforce the policies of international research;
- Improve the procedures for the international recruitment of undergraduate students, graduate students and instructor-researchers;
- Develop and apply the proposals for reaching a level of excellence in education;
- Precisely define the indicators for tracking the project and foster a climate of inclusion where the academic community, including students, feels it has its place.
The jury considered that the E2S was a model of the I-SITE concept, and praised the energy of the project team. The jury also stressed the importance of moving beyond the obstacles present in the energy and environmental fields, which are major social questions. The jury also stated that the UPPA's scientific and technological skills should benefit more businesses than those named in the project.
Over the next four years, UPPA will evolve its organization to adapt a three-college structure, a more international orientation and more courses taught in English.
In the end, the nine IDEX and nine I-SITE projects are the following:
- IDEX : Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Paris Sciences et lettres, Grenoble-Alpes, Aix Marseille, Côte d’Azur, Paris Saclay, Paris Sorbonne Universités, Lyon ;
- ISITE : Lille, Clermont, Paris-Est, Pau et Pays de l’Adour, Montpellier, Nantes, Paris Cergy, Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Lorraine.
Mohamed Amara, President of UPPA, and members of the E2S team were invited by French President François Hollande, to the reception in honor of the IDEX-I-SITE laureates, on March 13th, 2017, at the Elysée Palace in Paris.
