Université Paris-Saclay and Université de Sherbrooke strengthen their cooperation

Sherbrooke, a renowned leader in quantum science

Université de Sherbrooke (Québec) has established itself in recent years as a major player in quantum physics research, alongside its strong reputation in teaching innovation. Its Quantum Institute, founded in 2016, brings together more than 300 researchers and has become a leading international ecosystem in the field. Sherbrooke has developed an integrated innovation pipeline, spanning fundamental research through to pre-industrialisation, supported by over €20 million in federal funding and approximately CAD 500 million in public and private investment since 2016.

A strengthened scientific and academic partnership

A number of concrete initiatives and achievements illustrate the significant strengthening of ties between the two universities in recent years:

• Collaborations have developed between Université Paris-Saclay and the Nanotechnologies and Nanosystems Laboratory in Québec, within the Canada–France Quantum Alliance (CAFQA), an international research network in quantum science and technologies driven by CNRS in collaboration with 11 Canadian universities and 10 French universities, including Université Paris-Saclay;
• The establishment in Sherbrooke of major French quantum actors with links to the university Pasqal and Quandela ;
• In 2022, the awarding by Université de Sherbrooke of an honorary doctorate to Professor Alain Aspect de l’Institut d’Optique Graduate School, Nobel Prize in Physics 2022, highlighting the international recognition of cooperation between the two institutions;
• Thirteen joint PhD supervision (cotutelle) agreements have been established between 2020 and 2025 across a range of fields – biophotonics, nanosciences and nanotechnologies, electrical and electronic engineering, biology, physics, mathematics and heritage sciences – positioning Université de Sherbrooke as Université Paris-Saclay’s leading partner in terms of cotutelles.

Historically rooted in micro- and nanotechnologies, optics, microelectronics and electrical engineering, the cooperation between the two institutions has progressively expanded to a broad range of disciplines, now including physics, mathematics, health, computer science, sport sciences, humanities, civil engineering, nanotechnologies, geosciences and design. Today, an exchange agreement with the Faculty of Sport Sciences is in place, along with two double degree programmes: in Electronics and Robotic Systems, leading to the engineering degree from Polytech Paris-Saclay and the Master of Applied Science from Université de Sherbrooke; and in Computer Science, combining the engineering degree from Polytech Paris-Saclay with a second-cycle degree offered by Université de Sherbrooke.

The signing of the framework agreement thus provides structure and greater visibility to this partnership. In addition, the letter of intent on artificial intelligence opens the way to new joint initiatives in teaching and training in a strategic field for both institutions, notably around the sharing of educational resources (such as the BrevetAI solution), the development of communities of practice among teaching staff, and the mobility of AI education experts, in connection with the DataIA Institute at Université Paris-Saclay.

New perspectives for cooperation

This strengthening of the framework comes just a few weeks ahead of the next France–Canada Joint Strategic Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, scheduled for June 2026. It confirms the role of Québec as a key region for Université Paris-Saclay’s partnerships in North America.

This milestone also reflects a shared ambition with Université de Sherbrooke to deepen cooperation in pharmacology and oncology, quantum physics and engineering sciences, and to extend it to new fields such as medicine, law, and the social sciences.