Toulouse site: what France 2030 funding changes for higher education establishments
Despite the heat wave, higher education in Toulouse is breathing! The Tiris project, presented to the National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the PIA4 – France 2030 call for projects, was selected in early July. It even has the largest funding (38.3 million euros) of this second wave of labeling which sees 17 projects selected.
The Tiris project will also be supported by the Occitanie Region, which has undertaken to match the same amount. This is 76.6 million euros spread over ten years that obtains the project carried by the Comue Federal University of Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées.
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“We now need to finalize the statutes of the experimental Comue ; have them validated by the various establishments; and send them to the Cneser so that all of this comes out on January 1, 2023″, projects Philippe Raimbault, president of the federal university.
Scientifically, the Tiris project promises to focus on “three key societal challenges, in line with the priorities of the local private and public sectors: health and well-being; global change and its impact on societies; and sustainable transitions.” An interdisciplinary perspective combining hard sciences and human and social sciences, particularly requested by research teams and their laboratories.
“There is a real appetite among teacher-researcher and non-teacher-researcher staff to work on cross-functional projects. This gives meaning to our actions”, says Clément Varenne, the Unsa ITRF Bio academic secretary in Toulouse. “We had been off any label since losing the Idex in 2016. One of the consequences is that the site was struggling to be attractive for teaching and research support professions” he analyzes, hoping that the future organization generated by Tiris will allow higher education in Toulouse to regain momentum after a series of controversies.
Toulouse higher education is torn apart over PIA 4 funding projects
Because until winter, the Toulouse site was on the verge of implosion with the risk of seeing a competing project with Tiris – in particular supported by Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) – being filed, as part of the call to project. “Things have improved a lot since then. The fact that TSE has obtained HR autonomy through the large establishment project allows us to talk to each other on the scientific ground. I’m pretty confident”, certifies Philippe Raimbault.
There is a real appetite among teacher-researcher and non-teacher-researcher staff to work on cross-functional projects (C. Varenne, Unsa ITRF Bio)
The president of Toulouse 3 University – Paul Sabatier, if he is also optimistic in the conduct of the scientific project, however, remains more cautious about institutional analysis, as long as the community has been scalded.“In terms of research, we are going to put things in place in a collegial way. It will work because it is the teams in the field who have developed the project. This kind of thing does not take place in a president’s office, evacuates Jean-Marc Broto. On the institutional level, it is however another matter, but I hope that when this experiment is issued, the Toulouse site will be recognized as an intensive research university. “
In effect, the status of experimental Comue will not allow the Toulouse higher education and research community to benefit from a single signature for its scientific publications and therefore to appear in the major international rankings, like the eight universities labeled Idex and Isite.
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In this sense, although now that (re)placed on the right track to get there, Toulouse is still this little behind schedule that Tiris and its funding should enable it to fill in terms of attracting staffwhile at the same time, student numbers themselves continue to increase.
I hope that when this experiment is issued, the Toulouse site will be recognized as an intensive research university. (JM Broto, UT 3)
“Calls for projects will arrive with funding, which is very good, but there is a lack of civil servants to cope with the growth in the number of students, points out Patrick Piera, SNPTES academic secretary, and elected to the board of directors of the Federal University and Sciences po Toulouse. There are many contract workers who often only stay for one or two years . However, Tiris requires long-term involvement at a time when there is a certain will. The current Comue has 280 staff, including only 80 civil servants., he raises.
Philippe Raimbault, he wants to be optimistic on this point. “The current means are not sufficient and it would be necessary to be able to recruit, it is true, permanent teachers even if there is already hybridization and pool work.Calls for projects brought in significant funds. They are important for the attractiveness of teacher-researchers. In terms of supervision rate, we are going to reduce the differential”, support it to comment on an evil that is not specific to Toulouse.
If Toulouse higher education has probably not healed all its wounds. At least he can now look forward. The promise of funding around joint scientific projects has, at least on the surface, spread the soothing balm of success.