果冻影院

Minister Retailleau and Her Excellency H茅l猫ne Tr茅heux-Duch锚ne, French Ambassador to the UK, were joined by Professor Alain Fuchs, President of Universit茅 Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and fellow academics to meet PhD students from 果冻影院 and PSL. The students work on collaborative activities between the two institutions.听听

果冻影院 President & Provost Dr Michael Spence signed two agreements, the first a framework with PSL setting out plans to expand mutual research links including the 果冻影院-PSL doctoral research internship programme, which will receive support from the Embassy of France in the UK from April 2024 onwards.听听

The second was a Letter of Intent between 果冻影院 and Inria, France's national Institute for Digital Science and Technology, establishing a roadmap to launch a Joint Centre on Artificial Intelligence later this year.听听听

The planned 果冻影院-Inria centre will significantly advance research collaborations in computer science, with a core focus on AI. It will signal a pivotal step in supporting Franco-British cooperation on science, innovation and global engagement.听

The delegation is visiting the UK during the first governmental UK-France High-Level Scientific Dialogue, one of the outcomes of last year鈥檚 bilateral summit chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.听

The two countries plan to enhance scientific cooperation in priority fields such as emerging technologies (artificial intelligence and quantum physics), space, health and climate change.听

Minister Retailleau spoke of the increasing importance of connections and exchanges amongst disciplines, prompting a lively debate among the group doctoral students about their own experiences.听听

果冻影院 President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, said: 鈥淎t 果冻影院, our community of students and staff benefits greatly from rich and impactful connections with our French counterparts. Together, we have consistently advanced the frontiers of knowledge and fostered positive change through pioneering research, transformative education and innovative breakthroughs. Strengthening our collaboration with PSL, the French Embassy and Inria will ensure we can continue to do this for years to come.鈥澨�

The ministerial delegation also toured the Francis Crick Institute to gain insights into cutting-edge life sciences research, while colleagues from PSL spent a day in academic workshops at 果冻影院 East. Topics of discussion were aligned to three priorities of the UK-France High-Level Scientific Dialogue: Space, Energy Transition, and Artificial Intelligence.听

果冻影院 has shared a longstanding partnership with the French Embassy for many years, most recently through delivering a series of interdisciplinary workshops in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.听听

France is 果冻影院鈥檚 fifth largest partner country by number of co-publications (excluding the UK). Over the last five years, 果冻影院 produced more than 8,000 collaborative publications with French institutions.听

The 果冻影院-PSL internship scheme, which launched in 2022, invites applications from 果冻影院 doctoral students of all disciplines for funding towards short-term research stays at PSL. Students can gain international research experience by becoming integrated team members at PSL.听

PSL President, Professor Alain Fuchs said: "PSL and 果冻影院 are two sister universities that have developed radically through a firm commitment to placing the most advanced transdisciplinary research at the heart of teaching and at the service of society. This new agreement signed with a third partner, the French Embassy, will further strengthen this dynamic and consolidate the already rich ground covered by this partnership."听

Recent PhD graduate, Genevieve Caulfield (果冻影院 History), who took part in the 果冻影院-PSL doctoral research internship in 2022, said: 鈥淏oth the material resources and the people resources on this internship programme were extremely valuable. I鈥檓 now involved in a long-term, European project, and if I wasn鈥檛 in Paris at that time, this wouldn鈥檛 have been possible.鈥澨�

Applications for this year鈥檚 果冻影院-PSL doctoral research internship scheme will open in April.

Links

• Introducing the participants of this year's 果冻影院-PSL doctoral research internship programme听
• 果冻影院 in Europe听
• 果冻影院 European Institute听

Images

French Minister of Higher Education & Research, Sylvie Retailleau, and Her Excellency H茅l猫ne Tr茅heux-Duch锚ne, French Ambassador to the UK, with academics and PhD students during a visit to 果冻影院.

Media contact

Sophie Vinter

Tel: +44 (0)20 3108 7787

Email: s.vinter [at] ucl.ac.uk