INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

CONICET and the University of Sorbonne Paris Cité signed a cooperation agreement

The accord was signed during the inauguration of the consortium SPC of French universities’ headquarters in Buenos Aires.


Dr. Dora Barrancos, director of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), and the president of the University of Sorbonne Paris Cité (USPC), Doctor Jean-Yves Merindol, signed a framework agreement for international cooperation to develop joint activities on training of human resources and research on strategic areas for both countries.

The ceremony, which was held at the French Embassy in Buenos Aires, was inaugurated by Jean-Michel Casa, French Ambassador to Argentina, authorities of the two institutions, chancellors and professors of national and French universities and researchers of both countries. The agreement will promote the development of interdisciplinary research in Argentina and France.

Dora Barrancos spoke about the academic, scientific, social and cultural bonds between France and Argentina as well as the changes that have taken place during the last decade.

Furthermore, she indicated that the Council “has made significant advances in recent years, it became more inclusive, democratic and it covers more areas such as social and human sciences and technologies”. Apart from that, she remarked the policy designed to provide more opportunities to regional areas, that is to say, the federalization policy.

For his part, the president of the Sorbonne mentioned that this agreement includes joint calls to bring researchers together and facilitate cooperation. Besides, he added: “we share important values regarding the concept of advance education as a public service”.

Likewise, the representative of the French Embassy remarked the fact that Buenos Aires is the fourth international destination of the Sorbonne París Cité after Berlin, São Paulo and Singapore. “This is not a coincidence, it is the result of a deep and lifelong relationship between the scientific and the academic worlds of both countries”.

On Thursday morning, a committee formed by representatives of the universities that are part of the SPC and headed by its president, met Dr. Barrancos and Dr.Miguel Ángel Laborde, member of the board of the Council, to establish priority areas of the agreement and deepen strategic subject matters for both countries, such as public health, social sciences, climatic change and technologies, among others.

“We agreed on some lines of work. Today, the objective is to focus on muldisciplinary research and to deal with fundamental issues for the life of our societies”, Barrancos concluded.

The Sorbonne Paris Cité is a major university consortium that brings together four Parisian universities and four higher education institutions and research institutes. The Buenos Aires headquarters of the SPC promotes joint actions such as research, qualification and training.