Patrick Lévy, former coordinator of the Grenoble-Alpes University IDEX*

Grenoble-Alpes University’s application for national IDEX (Initiatives of Excellence) funding was approved in late June.
Were you surprised?

We wanted it and our local stakeholders certainly worked hard to make it happen.
We were careful not to take anything for granted. This was not a given. You have to remember what has been happening on other campuses. Toulouse’s grant was revoked in 2016, and Lyon’s in 2020. The Paris-Saclay and Paris Sciences-Lettres campuses had their probationary periods extended through 2020.

What was the committee looking for?

What they wanted to see were education and research already working together at the local level to provide a solid foundation for an international-caliber campus. The University president’s office has to have full autonomy to make strategy decisions. Grenoble-Alpes University strengthened its relationships with national research organizations like the CEA, CNRS, Inserm, and INRIA. This was structured around an Experimental Campus that also includes schools Grenoble INP, Sciences Po Grenoble, and ENSAG.

What does it mean in terms of funding?

It gives us substantial security. We know we will be getting €30 million per year for research, research-driven education, and education in general—for programs with a positive impact on student life, arts and culture, and the campus’ overall identity.
There are also other national grants that haven’t yet been awarded. The ExcellenceS grants, for example, will bring an additional €400 million to the 20 existing IDEX and ISITE** campuses.

Contact: patrick.levy@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

*Patrick Lévy has been working on a new IDEX grant proposal with stakeholders in France’s Occitanie region since January 2021.
** Initiatives for science, innovation, business, and communities