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New failure for the new university in Nantes

2019-10-10T11:17:34.959Z


A thunderclap in higher education in Nantes. There will be no new university in Nantes in January 2020. Centrale's board of directors has just voted against the project with 17 votes against, 12 for and one abstention.


A thunderclap in higher education in Nantes. There will be no new university in Nantes in January 2020. Centrale's board of directors has just voted against the project with 17 votes against, 12 for and one abstention.

Nantes university is over. In any case, it will not be January 2020. The Board of Directors of Centrale, Wednesday, October 9, voted against the statutes of the new university in Nantes. Three weeks ago, the association of Centraliens (Centrale Nantes Alumni, network of former and current students of Centrale) had already announced that it did not support the project. In his worries: the fact that Centrale is a constituent institution of the new University of Nantes, within the Science and Technology Center. "Among the institutions involved in this project, only the Central School becomes a component institution of Nantes University, alerted the association. The other institutions, CHU and Inserm, remain associated institutions. "There is concern that the school will lose its independence," said a member of the association. Centrale has, in 100 years of existence, improved its notoriety, raised its level of recruitment. School is in a good position in most classifications. We do not want Centrale to be drowned in a group that will make him lose his independence. This association represents only one of the thirty-one members of the school's board of directors. But other voices followed, on the same tone.

Bis repetita

Finally, the "against" won. The absolute majority of the thirty-one incumbent members, sixteen votes, was required for the project to pass. "The Board of Directors did not wish to approve, as is, the project led by the direction on the statutes and the decree of creation of the future experimental establishment named Nantes university", underlines, in a statement the council of Central administration. He said, however, that he had mandated the school principal to "define a methodology to advance the work in progress and return to him at his next meeting". The school also reaffirms, despite the results of this vote, "its willingness to continue discussions with the university. "

Not the first time that this project of new university of Nantes is lead in the wing. In July 2017, due to a negative vote on Centrale's board, the project had already aborted.

Near the goal, it's three years of work falling down to the water. This new university, unpublished model in France must bring together the university, Centrale, Inserm and CHU. It consisted of four clusters: humanities, health, society, science and technology. Central integrating the science and technology pole.

The investment of the future compromised?

What are the consequences of this new decline? In a letter sent to the staff of the university, Olivier Laboux, its president, speaks of "heavy consequences for the future of Nantes University and higher education and research of our territory". The I-Site, future investment for the NExT project supported by the four founders of the new university is compromised. This project had been selected by an international jury. And it is 330 million euros awarded for research projects and training in areas of excellence and innovation. Without the I-site, it is the ambition of research, innovation and international visibility, carried by the new university in Nantes, which falls into the water. "This Thursday, I will exchange with the other founders of the new university and NExT, and with the CNRS to take the concrete measure of the consequences of this vote and prepare for the future," said Olivier Laboux.

It is too early to know if the new university will be done anyway. But with other schools than Centrale. Or if He is really done with this new university model. There will undoubtedly be, in any case, many discussions and negotiations in the days to come. For the moment, it's a blow of club and total blur.

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New failure for the new university in Nantes Ouest-France.fr

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Source: ouestfr

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