Nantes Université A new public higher education and research institution was created on 1 January 2022: Nantes Université. Here we take a look at this groundbreaking establishment that aims to lay the foundations of a new, more open French university model.

Nantes Université proposes a new university model in France by bringing together the following institutions: a university (Université de Nantes), a university hospital (CHU de Nantes), an Institute for Technological Research (IRT Jules Verne), the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and several grandes écoles (Centrale Nantes, École des Beaux-Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire, École d’Architecture de Nantes) as full members.

All of these stakeholders have combined their efforts to develop Nantes areas of excellence in research, and in particular to design and build the health and industry of the future. Nantes Université also provides students with new training opportunities through blending different ways of thinking, cultures and practices.

Nantes Université also defines itself as an institution that is sustainable, committed, and actively involved in the evolution of society, with a comprehensive and original policy for open science, open education and open innovation.

A shared vision

A scientific ambition

The I-SITE (Initiatives: Science, Innovation, Territories, Economy) project NExT (Nantes Excellence Trajectory), winner of the Investments for the Future (PIA) programme’s IDEX (Initiatives of Excellence)/I-SITE call for applications, is a driving force behind the implementation of Nantes Université.

In the forthcoming years, Nantes Université will enable the Nantes site to assert an innovative path in research, training and technology transfer, and to build on its ambitious international attractiveness policy.

Over the next ten years, NExT’s ambition is to be ranked among the top 300 World universities and the top 100 European universities. This will involve achieving a critical mass in research and improving the impact of publications, with a focus on engineering and health sciences.