Nantes Université

A new university model

Centrale Nantes became a component institution of the newly-created Nantes Université as of 1 January 2022.

The new establishment created by Centrale Nantes, the University of Nantes, Nantes University Hospital, Inserm, ensa Nantes, Nantes Saint-Nazaire School of Fine Arts and IRT Jules Verne is a new public institution of higher education and research. Equipped with joint governance bringing together higher education and research, hospital and industry, it is destined to define a unified strategy for the Nantes site.
 

Structure of the experimental public institution

• The components of the university (UFR, faculties, institutes, schools...) and university research structures are grouped into four divisions: Humanities, Health, Sciences & Technology, Societies. INSPE, OSUNA and the federative structures remain outside the divisions and contribute actively to the interdisciplinary approach at institutional level.
• 3 component institutions outside the divisions: Centrale Nantes, l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Nantes and l’école des beaux-arts de Nantes Saint-Nazaire
• A closer partnership with Nantes University Hospital, INSERM, CNRS and IRT Jules Verne.

What new opportunities are afforded by this experimental establishment?

• the opportunity to deploy our vision of an innovative organization in research, training and innovation, while retaining and developing our grande école strengths
• a wider scientific scope with access to disciplines in fundamental sciences and interdisciplinary perspectives
• development and acceleration of the industrial dynamic and the ability to put together European projects in the school - and more broadly across the Nantes site
• increased capacity to work on projects at the interface between engineering and health, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, INSERM and Nantes University Hospital
• join the European Top 10 in bioinformatics and bio-statistics within 4 years (for the Nantes site)
• promotion of the interoperability of our programmes in order to open them up to a wider audience and increase their attractiveness
• contribution to the international reputation of Nantes Université

The main principles of governance

• Simplicity: the component institutions are not part of the divisions and retain their governance, which makes governance of Nantes Université simpler. Everyone comes together in the Nantes Université bodies, namely the Board of Governors, the Executive Board and the Academic Council, in which subjects of common interest and jointly conducted projects are debated.
  • The staff and students of the member institutions are voters and are eligible to stand for election in elections concerning Nantes Université.
  • The Board of Governors of Nantes Université is made up of a majority of elected staff and student representatives.
  • The President of Nantes Université sits with voting rights on the boards of governors of the component institutions, the IRT and Nantes University Hospital's executive board. The directors of the component institutions are permanent members of the Nantes Université Board of Governors.

 

• Subsidiarity: the school retains its current modus operandi and its authorities retain all their prerogatives: internal school affairs remain entirely within the comptence of its authorities. At the level of the experimental establishment, within common bodies, it will be possible to draw up a common Nantes Université strategy among the member institutions, indicating what we wish to do together in terms of research, training, innovation, and the working conditions of our staff and students.
  • The Executive Board, brings together the president of Nantes Université, the divisional directors and all the member institutions of Nantes Université that commit to implementing the common strategy. The Board develops this strategy and prepares recommendations for the Nantes Université Board of Governors. It can entrust one of the members to develop actions and projects, for the benefit of and on behalf of all.
  • The Supervisory Board ensures consistency between i-site deployment strategy and the policy implemented within Nantes Université with regard to health of the future and industry of the future. As such, the four founding members of the i-site (University of Nantes, Centrale Nantes, Nantes University Hospital and Inserm) are members of the board.

 

• Synergy between institutions: develop all projects in which we are stronger working together rather than apart, for example, securing international partnerships with major universities (such as for EUniwell), set up scientific collaboration and continue to open up cooperation between our teams (ex: engineering for health), develop the variety of course opportunities on offer to our students, strengthen links both locally and with industry.

The role of the advisory bodies

Download the official document: proposed statutes for Nantes Université