The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, took advantage of the recent launch of its new PhD Mobility Program in France to strengthen ties with key French research universities.
“The University of Ottawa enjoys an excellent reputation in the francophone scholarly world, especially in France. For more than 20 years now, the OVPRI co-manages the France Canada Research Fund with the French Embassy in Canada, and more recently, we host the Canadian office of France’s Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). This French body is one of the largest research institutions worldwide and its presence on our campus reinforces our co-operation with one of our major research partners,” says Martine Lagacé, associate vice-president, research promotion and development.
Many meetings, both in person and online, took place in early March. Among other activities, uOttawa signed a five-year agreement with Université Jean Monnet (UJM) in Saint-Étienne to strengthen research links between the two institutions. Four major research themes were identified, namely, photonics, law, health prevention, as well as arts, social sciences and humanities. The agreement with UJM is in direct continuation of the initial memorandum of understanding, signed in 2018, and aims to broaden exchanges in areas of interest to both institutions.
For this event, the University of Ottawa and the Université Jean Monnet (UJM) were represented by Christelle Bahier-Porte, Vice-President, Research for UJM, Florent Pigeon, President of UJM, François Carrier, Director, International Research and Experiential Learning at uOttawa, Alain Trouillet, Vice-President, Training and International Relations at UJM, and Thomas Guillobez, Director of International Relations at UJM.
The two universities also commit to continuing their joint activities related to scientific collaboration and research excellence. Greater mobility for professors and research students are being favoured through symposiums and short- or long-term stays in either institution. Experience shows that these activities often lead to successful joint proposals supported by national and international funding bodies.
Finally, knowledge mobilization will be placed at the forefront: improved exchanges of research findings and more effective overall dissemination of findings will be encouraged, and opportunities for international training for students, postdoctoral fellows and clinicians from both institutions will be promoted.