Swansea University strengthens strategic partnership with Grenoble’s Université Joseph Fourier

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A delegation from Grenoble recently visited Swansea University, led by the President of Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, Professor Patrick Levy.

The main purpose of the visit was to strengthen the strategic partnership which has been developed between both universities and to identify future projects and priorities. The main focus was the meeting of the Joint Strategic Board which was chaired by the Vice Chancellor. The visit proved to be an extremely successful event with the senior management teams of both universities identifying some truly exciting opportunities for future collaboration.

A full programme of meetings and visits was drawn up enabling senior colleagues from Grenoble to meet with colleagues from Swansea and to identify and prioritise future collaborative projects between both universities.

Swansea University Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies (right) and his coDuring the two-day visit, Professor Yassine Lakhnech, Professor Laurent Charlet and Professor Pierrick Bedouch, visited Swansea University’s Medical School, the College of Science, and the College of Engineering to discuss potential new research collaboration and the possibility of expanding the collaborative PhD programme.

Further discussions also took place with colleagues from the Colleges of Law, Arts & Humanities, and Human & Health Science.

Although, initially, the main focus of the collaboration centred on Science-based projects, the Joint Strategic Board has expressed its intention to broaden the collaboration to incorporate Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities, making the partnership truly institutional.

In parallel with the academic discussions, the Deputy Director General, Bénédicte Corvaisier, met with colleagues from the Professional Services Departments, sharing best practice and identifying areas for future collaboration. The focus of these discussions included the development of common HR policies to encourage and support staff mobility and secondments, the development of joint postgraduate degrees and the promotion of student mobility opportunities. Colleagues also discussed a joint approach to support and implement the ambitions of the academic colleagues.

A linked event took place where Professor Jean Pierre Travers and Professor Arnauld Lucotte visited the College of Science to discuss potential collaboration in Physics.

Meetings with the Vice Chancellor, Richard B. Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Iwan Davies, the Chief Operating Officer & Registrar, Raymond Ciborowski were also arranged as well as a visit to the new £450 million Bay Campus.

Feedback on the two-day visit including the main decisions of the Joint Strategic Board will be offered to colleagues involved in the Grenoble collaboration at a meeting to be arranged during early June. 

Picture: Swansea University Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies (right) and his counterpart from Université Joseph Fourier, Professor Patrick Levy.