Sorbonne University Alliance

The 6 associate members of the Sorbonne University Alliance

• Sorbonne University
• Le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN)
• Insead
• L’université de technologie de Compiègne (UTC)
• Le pôle supérieur d’enseignement artistique Paris Boulogne-Billancourt (PSPBB)
• France Education International (anciennement Ciep)

The partner research organisations of the Sorbonne University Alliance

• The CNRS
• Inserm
• Inria
• The IRD

The alliance of all knowledge

The diversity of the Sorbonne University Alliance’s members promotes a global approach to teaching and research. It offers access to a broad range of knowledge and develops numerous joint programmes and projects in initial, ongoing and lifelong education in all disciplines, in research and innovation, in the transfer of results and in dissemination.

The Alliance’s strategic plan, based on that of Sorbonne University was adopted by all members and defines the Alliance's main priorities. 

This shared vision of an alliance covering a broad range of knowledge has been supported by the French State since 2012, within the framework of the Idex call for projects (Excellence Initiatives). In 2012, the Sorbonne University Alliance’s Idex project was awarded funding and confirmed in April 2018. 
Sorbonne University coordinates the Idex and ensures its implementation within the framework of the Alliance's strategic plan. Thus, through the Idex, the Sorbonne University Alliance supports strategic initiatives, from research to education, including international policy, innovation and campus life.

Here are a few examples: 

• Institutes: the Alliance promotes interdisciplinary research and the structuring of research training with the Sorbonne University Institutes, which bring together the Alliance's communities of researchers and professors around a common issue. Music, health, environmental transition, data, artificial intelligence, and heritage: our institutes take up a variety of challenges and cover a large number of disciplines. Sorbonne University now has 6 institutes—and two more in the pipeline, on the sea and quantum physics, which are complemented by strategic initiatives that explore opportunities for cross-discipline collaboration in other fields. The institutes and structuring initiatives are developed around interdisciplinary doctoral programmes.
• Structuring education through research: the Alliance supports education through research and pedagogical innovation, supporting the creation of experimental courses. These multidisciplinary programmes include cross-disciplinary teaching focused on skills (entrepreneurship, communication, data science, etc.). The aim is to build coherent pathways, with a smooth transition towards a doctorate or professional life. To better structure such actions, Sorbonne University is setting up bachelor's and master's colleges, complementary to existing governance bodies. 
• Bringing knowledge to the fore: the Émergence program funds projects proposed by Sorbonne University Alliance researchers and professors in new areas of excellence, both at the heart and at the interface of disciplines. The aim is to foster the scientific creativity of the entire Sorbonne University Alliance by supporting risk-taking, the development of original ideas and innovative concepts, and the establishment of new collaborations.
• Promoting open science: the Alliance promotes the ad-hoc group on open science and launches joint initiatives to promote free access to publications and data.
• More inclusive campuses: to promote social inclusion and improve students' living conditions, the Idex finances student jobs and facilitates access to housing. 

The Idex covers all priorities of the strategic plan of Sorbonne University and the Alliance, and thus finances a host of other actions, from digital transformation to international partnerships, through the dissemination of knowledge and European development.