Nanterre University

Biz@India

November-December 2016

Located in northern Paris, Nanterre University is a leading centre of education and training in France

Université Paris Nanterre is a rare gem in the Paris region. It offers students and faculty a large 32 hectare campus. Paris Nanterre is conveniently located right next to La Défense – the largest business district in Europe – and enjoys very convenient public transport access. Each year the University welcomes nearly 34,000 students and its academic programmes cover an impressive range of disciplines: humanities and languages; social and human sciences; law, economics, management; technology: culture and arts; information and communication sciences; and sports sciences and physical education.

Paris Nanterre University is also an educational institution where cutting edge academic programmes are only rivalled by its international courses and world-renowned research which has received countless awards in a host of different fields.

The University is proud of its many partnerships both with prestigious foreign universities and a great many French and international firms which are attracted by the thousands of graduates having completed innovative and demanding academic programmes.

Partnerships

• Paris West belongs to a University and Institution Community which includes the University of Paris 8, National Library of France (BNF), National Archives, Quai Branly Museum, Louis Lumière College and National Institute for the Disabled and Special Education

• 446 foreign partner universities in 76 countries

• Annual Business Forum,professional thematic meetings, workshops and an Entrepreneurship Day in partnership with a wide range of firms

• Agreement with the Civic Service Agency

• Several programmes with secondary schools to ease the transition to higher education

• Cultural and social integration programmes in association with local government institutions

Research

• Nearly 1,800 PhD students, including 15% under international co-supervision

• About 200 doctoral theses are defended every year (of which 4 to 6 are awarded a prize by the Chancellery of Paris Universities)

• 137 Assistant Lecturers

• 168 thesis contracts, including 35 CIFRE agreements

• 6 doctoral schools, including one accredited with MINES Paris Tech (ENSMP), and associated with the ESCP-EAP Schools of Management and Business and the IFP Graduate School of Engineering. Another doctoral school is co-accredited with the University of Paris-Sud.

• 1,272 members of faculty, including 834 research professors

• 87% of research professors publish their works in internationnaly recognized publications

• 191 researchers, including 113 from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

• 34 members of the InstitutUniversitaire de France (university professors internationally recognised for their research excellence)

• 27 student support teams

• 12 UMR research units, 1 USR research unit, 1 Research Federation and 1 MSH research centre

• 96 National Research Agency (ANR) projects currently in progress (out of 183 submitted since 2008)

• 41 partnerships with permanent research networks (GDR and GIS research centres, European networks, Networks of Excellence)

• About 50 research contracts with the public and private sectors (¤1.5 million/year) and 423 outside partnership agreements since 2010 (¤7 million)

• Participation in several European projects as part of the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development (6 projects), and 2 Erasmus Mundus programmes

• 1 Laboratory of Excellence (LABEX) project called “Pasts in the
Present”, 5 partnerships with other LABEX projects, 2 EQUIPEX projects and 1 innovative teaching (IDEFI) programme

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Academic Programmes

The University’s academic programmes have been significantly changed since September 2014:

• 25 Bachelor’s degrees with 76 specialisations

• 13 Double Bachelor’s courses

• 5 multidisciplinary Bachelor’s degrees

• 27 professional Bachelor’s courses

• 58 Master’s degrees with 155 specialisations

• 8 Faculties

• 6 doctoral schools

• Paris West University is a pioneer in double and multidisciplinary degree programmes and is known for creating the following:- Applied Languages degrees (LEA) which include two modern languages- Double degree courses: Languages-Law, Languages-Economics and Languages-History- A Bachelor’s degree in Humanities which combines the study of several disciplines such as history, humanities, philosophy, law, languages, etc. A unique course in France.

• 2 MOOC courses in philosophy and history (in conjunction with the International Library for Contemporary History and Culture). To be launched upon completion of the French University Digital Platform. Other courses are currently being developed.

• A French as a Foreign Language Centre is presently being developed

• Paris West is the only university in the greater Paris region to offer all human and social science disciplines. Sciences are not forgotten, however,and are offered at the Faculty of Industrial Systems and Engineering Communication Technology and the University Institute of Technology in Ville d’Avray/St. Cloud.

BERNARD QUINIO Vice président, Université Paris Nanterre

How important is the international partnership for your University? In which countries/regions have you been active and what have the results been so far? 

Paris-Nanterre University has over 400 active partnerships with about 80 countries, including India.

Have you had any exposure to India or presence in India? What has your experience been vis a vis India so far? 

We have agreements with 4 Indian universities: University Law College Bangalore, University of Madras, Gujarat National Law University, GITAM University, New Delhi University, Centre d’Etudes économiques et socials de Hyderabad. One of our professors is currently head of Institut Français in Pondichéry.

If you have never had any relationship with India, would you be keen to consider entering India? 

N/A

What are your expectations from the Indian partners? Which format of relation with India would be the best suited for you – invest in setting up a unit/subsidiary or joint venture in India, finding a franchisee in India, transfer of know-how or simply sell services/ products technology to India? 

N/A

And what would you expect as a takeaway from the IISDS? 

We have been approached to provide training for trainers and hope to get a better standing of your expectations.