Université Paris-Saclay strengthens its partnership with INRS, a leading research university in Quebec
With the signing of two key agreements, Université Paris-Saclay is strengthening its cooperation strategy with Quebec and enhancing its scientific presence in North America.
At a high-level institutional meeting held on 31 March 2026 in Paris, Université Paris-Saclay and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS, Quebec) formalised the strengthening of their cooperation through the signing of a framework agreement and a doctoral cotutelle agreement.
The ceremony took place in the presence of Camille Galap, president of Université Paris-Saclay, Martine Biron, Quebec Minister of Higher Education, and Henri-Paul Rousseau, Delegate General of Quebec in Paris, giving the event a strong institutional and political dimension in a context of renewed momentum in scientific relations between France and Quebec. Also in attendance were Luc-Alain Giraldeau, Director General of INRS, Philippe-Edwin Bélanger, Director of the INRS International Office, Delphine Placidi-Frot, vice-president for international and European relations at Université Paris-Saclay, Sandrine Ongeri, vice-president in charge of doctoral studies, and Guillaume Garreta, Director of International and European Affairs.
A leading institution fully dedicated to research and graduate studies, INRS ranks first in Canada in research intensity. It is a key partner of Université Paris-Saclay in North America, alongside the University of Montreal, McGill University, the University of Sherbrooke, and the Université du Québec network, with which a structuring partnership has been in place since 2024.
Relations between the two institutions have strengthened in recent years, building on active scientific collaborations across several fields, including physics, geosciences, engineering, materials science and energy. Joint research is notably being conducted on batteries and the energy transition, as well as in geochemistry and palaeoclimates.
This cooperation is also reflected in sustained academic mobility, with ten INRS doctoral candidates hosted at Université Paris-Saclay between 2020 and 2025, several of whom are in cotutelle. The two institutions are also working to develop both incoming and outgoing internship mobility.
Several flagship initiatives support this partnership, including the organisation of a joint summer school on electromobility in 2026 in Quebec, on the INRS/UQTR campus in Trois-Rivières, with plans for a reciprocal event at Université Paris-Saclay in 2027.
The signing of these agreements marks a new step in structuring the partnership. It aims to sustainably strengthen research and training collaborations, facilitate the development of doctoral cotutelles, and support academic mobility.
It also reflects a shared ambition to expand cooperation into new disciplinary areas, notably smart agriculture and the humanities and social sciences.
Ahead of the Franco-Canadian Joint Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation scheduled for June 2026, this agreement confirms the strategic role of Quebec, and more broadly Canada, in Université Paris-Saclay’s international policy in higher education, research and innovation.