UCL hosted Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister of Higher Education & Research, this week as part of a high-level delegation exploring opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration with France.
Minister Retailleau and Her Excellency Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne, French Ambassador to the UK, were joined by Professor Alain Fuchs, President of Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and fellow academics to meet PhD students from UCL and PSL. The students work on collaborative activities between the two institutions.
UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence signed two agreements, the first a framework with PSL setting out plans to expand mutual research links including the UCL-PSL doctoral research internship programme, which will receive support from the Embassy of France in the UK from April 2024 onwards.
The second was a Letter of Intent between UCL 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.
The planned UCL-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.
The delegation is visiting the UK during the first governmental UK-France High-Level Scientific Dialogue, one of the outcomes of last year's bilateral summit chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
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.
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.
UCL President & Provost, Dr Michael Spence, said: "At UCL, 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."
