Sorbonne University Alliance (French: Alliance Sorbonne Université) is a group of ten academic institutions associated with Sorbonne University. After the fusion between Paris-Sorbonne University and Pierre and Marie Curie University under the name Sorbonne University (French: Sorbonne Université) in 2018, the university system Sorbonne Universités changed its name to Association Sorbonne Université and later to Alliance Sorbonne Université.
The original group was founded in June 2010 by: Panthéon-Assas University, Paris-Sorbonne University, and Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University. The latter two merged in 2018 into Sorbonne University and Panthéon-Assas is now an associate member. Other members include INSEAD, the University of Technology of Compiègne, the National Museum of Natural History, and research centers such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation, and the French Research Institute for Development.
The group comprises nearly 60,000 students annually, of which 5,000 are Ph.D. students.
Members of the group have set up many projects to strengthen relations between them and to create new academic courses and research programs in the fields of science, medicine, law, human and social science, engineering, business management, and arts.
Member institutions are associated with twenty Nobel laureatesList of PMCU's Nobel Prize laureates and seven Field Medalists,List of PMCU's Field Medalists ten billionaires, and three heads of state.
The group has been granted €130 million by the French government. Its budget was €680 million as of 2012.
History
The group was founded in June 2010 by, at that time, some of the successors of the University of Paris: Panthéon-Assas University (now an associate member), Paris-Sorbonne University, and Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University. The University of Paris, also known simply as the Sorbonne, is the medieval university of Paris that was divided into 13 autonomous universities after the French riots in 1968.
In the early 2000s, to perform on the international scale, these thirteen universities joined forces with public research and higher-education institutions and grandes écoles. In 2006, a French law compelled every university institution to join a university group. This was aimed at forming big university and research clusters able to compete with the best international universities.
In 2010, Sorbonne University formed its first group. Since then, other university institutions have joined, such as the National Museum of Natural History. Panthéon-Assas University left the group in 2013 because it was not happy with the governance of the group and became an associate member in 2014. Sorbonne University was composed of 11 founding members and 11 other associate members.
Like other French university groups, this group is a first step toward a merger of the relevant universities. Paris-Sorbonne University (one of the inheritors of the faculty of humanities of the University of Paris) and Pierre and Marie Curie University (an inheritor of the faculties of science and medicine) merged in 2018 as Sorbonne University. Panthéon-Assas University (one of the heirs of the faculty of law and economics) and University of Technology of Compiègne may merge with it in the years to come.
Organization Founding members
Sorbonne University University of Technology of Compiègne INSEAD National Museum of Natural History Pôle Supérieur d'Enseignement Paris Boulogne-Billancourt Centre international d'études pédagogiques French National Centre for Scientific Research French Institute of Health and Medical Research French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation French Institute of Research for the Development
Associate members
Panthéon-Assas University (Paris 2) (starting as founding member) Archives nationales Paris Notarial Institute Centre des monuments nationaux École de formation professionnelle des barreaux de la cour d'appel de Paris École Nationale des Chartes French National School for the Judiciary École Navale École des officiers de la gendarmerie nationale Camp Coëtquidan École nationale supérieure de la Police National Institute for Art History
Campus Parisian campuses
The main campus of Sorbonne University is the historic central Sorbonne building in the Latin quarter, which Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris 4) shares with other universities not included in Sorbonne University. Sorbonne University is also located in the Jussieu Campus, near the Latin quarter. The campus is occupied by Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6). After a long period of restoration, the first half of the new campus was inaugurated in September 2014 with new academic buildings, new dormitories, and a gymnasium.
In Paris, Sorbonne University has the campuses of Sorbonne, Jussieu, Pitié-Salpêtrière, Cordeliers, Saint-Antoine, Trousseau, Tenon, the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, the Vision Institute belonging to the Pierre and Marie Curie University; the Jardin des plantes, the Institut de Paléontologie humaine, the Musée de l'Homme, the Paris Zoological Park, properties of the National museum of natural history; the Latin quarter campus, the Centre Clignancourt, the Maison de la recherche, the Institut national d'histoire de l'art, the Institut d'art et d'archéologie, the Malesherbes University center, and the Institut d'urbanisme et d'aménagement, all belonging to the Paris-Sorbonne University; the École supérieure d'art dramatique de Paris, the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris, all belonging to the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt
Paris region campuses
Sorbonne University is also located in other numerous places in the Paris region: List of Sorbonne University's establishments In Bondy, with the Institute of Research for Development campus, opened in 2013 In Boulogne-Billancourt, with the Pôle Supérieur d'Enseignement Paris Boulogne-Billancourt In Brunoy, with the Center of General Ecology of the National Museum of Natural History In Dammarie-les-Lys, with the Didier Lockwood Musical Center, belonging to the Pôle Supérieur d'Enseignement Paris Boulogne-Billancourt In Fontainebleau, with the INSEAD campus In Ivry-sur-Seine, with the Longevity Institute of the Charles-Foix Hospital, belonging to Pierre and Marie Curie University In Menton, with the Jardin botanique du Val Rahmeh, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Neuilly-sur-Seine, with Celsa, part of Paris-Sorbonne University In Obterre, with the Haute Touche Zoological Park, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Rocquencourt, with the Arboretum de Chèvreloup, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Saint-Cyr-l'École, with the Jean-Le-Rond-d'Alembert Institute, part of Pierre and Marie Curie University
National campuses
Sorbonne University is also located in numerous other places in France: In Banyuls-sur-Mer, with the Observatoire océanologique, belonging to Pierre and Marie Curie University In Concarneau, with the Concarneau Biological Station, belonging to the National Museum of Natural History In Compiègne, with the main campus of the University of Technology of Compiègne In Dinard, with the Centre de recherche et d'enseignement sur les systèmes côtiers, belonging to the National Museum of Natural History In Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, with the prehistoric site called Abri Pataud, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Roscoff, with the Station biologique de Roscoff, belonging to Pierre and Marie Curie University In Saint-Cyr-l'École, with the Jean-Le-Rond-d'Alembert Institute, part of Pierre and Marie Curie University In Samoëns, with the Jaÿsinia Botanical Garden, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Sérignan-du-Comtat, with the Harmas de Fabre museum, property of the National Museum of Natural History In Villefranche-sur-Mer, with the Villefranche-sur-Mer Marine Station, belonging to Pierre and Marie Curie University
International establishment
Thanks to its members, Sorbonne University can benefit from a wide range of international partnerships, both in Europe and worldwide. These partnerships allow academic mobility for students and a broader scientific cooperation for researchers. For example, Sorbonne University is also established in Asia, with one campus in Singapore, residence of INSEAD, and two campuses in Abu Dhabi, both for INSEAD and the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.
Sorbonne University has also formed its own academic partnerships: in Canada;Bourse de recherche Mitacs Globalink - Sorbonne Universités (2e et 3e cycles) Brazil;Présentation du partenariat avec le Brésil sur le site de Sorbonne Universités Mexico, with UNAM;« Partenariat entre Sorbonne Universités et la plus grande université du Mexique » in China with the Harbin Institute of Technology; and in Singapore, with Nanyang Technological University and the Yale-NUS College.Presentation of the partnership with Singapore, Sorbonne University's website
Academic Members of the group have worked on several projects in order to strengthen relations and potentially create a new international institution. The most famous projects are the Sorbonne College (Collège de la Sorbonne) for bachelor's degree teaching and the Sorbonne Doctoral College (Collège doctoral de la Sorbonne) for PhD candidates.
Sorbonne College Since 2014, the Sorbonne College for bachelor's degree (« Collège des Licences de la Sorbonne ») has been coordinating academic projects of the members of the group. It also offers cross-institutional academic courses in many fields, allowing students to graduate from both institutions. For example, some cross-institutional bachelor's degrees (« double licences ») are proposed to students between Paris-Sorbonne University, Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, and Panthéon-Assas University, in: Science and History (UPMC / Paris-Sorbonne) Science and Musicology (UPMC / Paris-Sorbonne) Science and Philosophy (UPMC / Paris-Sorbonne) Science and Chinese (UPMC / Paris-Sorbonne) Science and German (UPMC / Paris-Sorbonne) Law and History (Panthéon-Assas / Paris-Sorbonne) Law and Art History (Panthéon-Assas / Paris-Sorbonne) Law and Science (Panthéon-Assas / UPMC) History and Media (Paris-Sorbonne / Panthéon-Assas)
As is the case in the Anglo-American university systems, Sorbonne University proposes a major-minor program that is currently being deployed at Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Sorbonne University, in partnership with INSEAD, also offers all of its alumni and PhD students a professionalizing course in business management, to complete their curriculum.
Doctoral College
Since 2010, every PhD student is granted an honorary diploma labeled "Sorbonne University". This diploma highlights and gathers the skills of doctors and researchers from the institutions that form Sorbonne University.
The Sorbonne Doctoral College, created in 2013, coordinates the activities of the 26 doctoral schools. Since 2014, it has developed cross-disciplinary PhDs between the different members of the group: