Awarded in 2016 and renewed in 2021, the Lorraine Excellence Initiative (I-SITE Lorrain) is led by the University of Lorraine and seven site partners: CNRS, Inserm, INRAE, Inria, Nancy University Hospital, Georgia Tech Europe, and AgroParisTech. Together, they are shaping a unique multidisciplinary academic site in France.
With 60,000 students (including 6,500 engineering students) and more than 4,900 faculty members, the University of Lorraine is the leading engineering training center in France.
The site is also recognized as a leading entrepreneurship hub, covering a broad spectrum of initiatives involving the entire university community (researchers and students) through the Lorraine Student Entrepreneurship Center (PEEL) and the Lorraine Incubator.
Its territorial anchorage in two metropolises and twelve urban areas makes it an academic player strongly integrated into society. It joins UDICE, the alliance of 10 French universities working for excellent research, the performance of higher education, and the development of attractive innovation ecosystems in France and Europe.
The central role of the Lorraine I-SITE
The Lorraine I-SITE offers transformative and structuring levers within the ecosystem, reinforced by resources from other France 2030 programs: ORION (SFRI), SIRIUS (IDEES), Education & Territories (EXCELLENCES), REIL (ASDESR), POLARIS (PUI), AILES (Territories of Educational Innovation), and PLEIADES (DemoES / Digital Demonstrators in Higher Education).
The major projects of the France 2030 program enable the I-SITE to increase the visibility of Lorraine research among the general public and foster collaborations between research and the socio-economic world. Members of I-SITE Lorrain are leading 8 major projects of excellence supported by the National Research Agency as part of the France 2030 investment plan. These projects are notably promoted through the UNYS brand, which brings together certain members of I-Site.
More info: www.unys-sciences.fr/projets/
Finally, due in particular to our geographical location, the University of Lorraine is naturally European: it belongs to the Université de la Grande de Région (UniGR), which brings together seven universities in the cross-border region, as well as to the EURECA-PRO European University, which focuses on responsible consumption and production.
The excellence we uphold on the campus reflects our high standards and our desire to foster collective skill development within the academic community to prepare the university of tomorrow. We are also convinced that the major innovations of tomorrow, as well as all forms of less exceptional but essential innovation in times of major transition, will only be achieved at the intersection of several disciplinary fields. In this sense, the partners of the Lorraine campus aim to create by 2040 a recognized model of a university positioned on a global engineering approach (interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and systemic) for the planet, capable of contributing to strengthening the capacity for action, and even resilience, of our societies.
The 3 PIA children of the Lorraine Excellence Initiative
ORION
SFRI program aimed at strengthening training through research from the undergraduate level, via excellence scholarships, student-researcher clubs, practical work on INFRA+ platforms, and interdisciplinary courses.
SIRIUS
The IDEES program structures interactions between universities and society. It supports everyday innovation and co-construction with businesses, communities, and citizens, through programs such as the Deep Change Lab and thematic communities.
Éducation & Territoires (E&T)
ExcellencES program in all its forms, which acts on the personalization of student paths and the territorialization of the training offer, while strengthening science-society links (SAPS label).
Historical
- 2007: Creation of the Lorraine Site Coordination Council (formerly CCOSL): implementation of site projects, deployment of collaborative initiatives
- 2011: Labex & Equipex: structuring of excellence forces
- 2016: I-SITE Label: Awarded (Lorraine University of Excellence project)
- 2016–2021: Trial phase: structuring of the first interdisciplinary initiatives
- 2021: Perpetuation of the I-SITE label (first recognized French site)
- Since 2021: Deployment of an integrated strategy combining research, training, innovation, and international recognition.