Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe

HUMANE Study Visit Europe

The Paris Saclay Initiative: Vision, Strategy and Achievements

Hosted by the Université Paris-Saclay (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 full programme will be available very soon.