The universities in Paris Region

In an economic globalisation context, higher education, research and innovation are essential driving forces of competitiveness. They play a central role in the development of qualification, growth and employment.

The University, with regard thereto, is a basic player, due to its initial and vocational training, scientific and technological research, and knowledge circulation purposes.

Certainly the University should be responsive to the expectations of society in terms of equality, accessibility, efficiency and quality, but it should also open up more to economic players, foreign researchers and students, if it is to remain attractive on a world-wide scale.

With the State, local communities are becoming crucial players of the response to the training public's, researchers' and scholars' expectations. Their action within the poles of competitiveness is and will be deciding. Thus the Paris region acts in favour of research (major interest area labelling, player regrouping), of improving student living conditions, and of the opening to other countries.

The University has always helped shape Paris Region's image, and its facilities contribute to the structuring of its territory. The thinking on Paris Region's future, through the regional master plan revision, the establishment of the regional education plan and the regional economic growth plan casts new light on the issue of university facilities, as centres of economic and social growth and as contribution to the life of territories. The purpose of this issue of Les Cahiers is to identify the various aspects of the issue in order to nourish the thinking.