Together, the founding institutions contribute essential assets

In terms of teaching, with nearly 100,000 students at its creation, the Target University is naturally a reference point for the region.

The Target University will offer diverse learning models (University Institute of Technology (IUT), Bachelor’s degrees, DEUST (university diploma in scientific and technical studies) and post-baccalaureate courses forming part of longer programmes, for example) across a wide range of disciplines. It therefore possesses all of the necessary elements for rethinking and building an undergraduate programme that will meet students’ expectations and needs.

At graduate level, the Target University will draw on the recognised training courses of its founding institutions, ranging from programmes developed in close consultation with professional sectors to courses focusing on research and teaching. Its programmes will offer students a strong international outlook, with more than 80 double degrees across five continents, including the Erasmus Mundus Master’s programme and around 60 offsite programmes in a wide variety of countries, enabling it to welcome more than 11,600 international students each year.

With its 2,900 doctoral students, the Target University will have significant potential from its inception for doctoral instruction, based on the strengths of its research laboratories.

In terms of research, the founding institutions and their national research partner organisations together comprise the main public research actor in the Lyon Saint-Étienne region, with 5,000 faculty members working in around 100 research units across all fields of knowledge.

Research, federated at the Target University level, will develop international visibility by using a single signature for publications, capitalising on the publishing dynamics of recent years.

The commitment of territorial, economic and institutional partners is one of the site's key assets. The Lyon Saint-Étienne site’s economic vitality makes it an ideal development location for a large research-intensive university. Particularly active sectors include green chemistry, health sciences (human and animal), the pharmaceutical industry, industries of the future, digital technologies, transport and mobility, materials, design, textiles, the environment and sustainable cities.

The Lyon Saint-Étienne region, with more than two million inhabitants, is the second largest urban area in France in terms of population. This implies extremely varied educational needs and a specific responsibility with respect to diversity, social mobility and gender diversity. According to the European Innovation Scoreboard, the region is one of the most highly innovative areas in Europe. Its academic institutions must therefore be suitable partners in order to support this dynamic in the long term. Elsewhere in Europe and the world, population centres with strong economic development draw on higher education and research systems that always include at least one world-class university.