Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe

HUMANE Study Visit Europe

The Paris-Saclay Initiative: Vision, Strategy and Achievements

Hosted by the Paris-Saclay University (FR), April 9-11, 2025

The Paris-Saclay University (Université Paris-Saclay) was established in 2015 by the French government with the aim to develop a high level research-focused French university that could reach the top-ten position in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and be a top university in continental Europe.

To reach a critical size the University brings together four top technical Grandes Ecoles (CentraleSupélec, AgroParisTech, ENS Paris-Saclay and the Institut d’Optique Graduate School) with two universities (Versailles Saint Quentin and Evry) in a strengthened partnership with the CEA, the CNRS, INRAE, Inria, Inserm, ONERA, the 6 national research organisations under a research-intensive single academic campus located on the Saclay plateau (so-called the European Silicon Valley, 20 kms south of Paris). 

In January 2020, Paris-Saclay University replaced the University of Paris-Sud (Paris XI) for 8 years of experimentation; each of the institutions remains autonomous but shares most existing and newly invested resources. 

Paris-Saclay University has some 48 000 students, 8 000 researchers and academic staff, 8 500 technical and administrative staff; it has over 275 laboratories and is located in a dynamic business cluster of high technology companies. As of 2021, 11 fields medallists and 4 Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with the university and its associated research institutes. Paris-Saclay describes itself as “the beating heart for entrepreneurship and innovation” and a powerful research ecosystem.  

The HUMANE Study Visit will offer the opportunity to share with senior university leaders and professional service leaders on:

  • The original ambition, vision and strategy and the achievements to date
  • The governance model 
  • Implications for resources and economies of scale – sharing services and infrastructure (between the 15 institutions, with industry)
  • Financial strategies and funding
  • Collaborative relationships with industry on the Saclay Plateau

Paris-Saclay is at a turning point of its brief history. A focus will be made on the cultural transformation now taking place inside Paris-Saclay as the end of the experimental phase is gradually approaching (2028).

The Study Visit will start in the evening of Wednesday April 9 and will end early afternoon on Friday April 11.

The programme outline is available here.