Aller au contenu principal

Press releases from 2021 and 2020

Université Paris-Saclay and the Better World Fund announce the creation of ‘Academia for a Better World’ - December 2021

Université Paris-Saclay and the Better World Fund have signed a framework partnership agreement, marking their willingness to work together on concrete philanthropic actions related to major humanitarian, climate and environmental issues. The signing of the agreement took place on 4 December 2021, as part of a two-day event organised by the Better World Fund at the Sweden Pavilion of the Expo 2020 Dubai, to mark the international day for persons with disabilities.

 

Université Paris-Saclay launches the Institute for Sustainable Energy - December 2021

For the past few months, Université Paris-Saclay has been deploying its interdisciplinary programmes, aimed at coordinating research, education and innovation actions in areas with a major societal impact. As part of this deployment, the University’s executive committee has approved the establishment of the Institute for Sustainable Energy.

 

Ten doctors from Université Paris-Saclay awarded the Prix de la Chancellerie - December 2021

Once again, Université Paris-Saclay’s doctors have been rewarded for the excellence of their research work, with ten awarded prizes for their theses from the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris.

 

Université Paris-Saclay signs a collaboration agreement with Elogen, the French leader in PEM water electrolysis - December 2021

On December 3, 2021, Université Paris-Saclay and Elogen signed a collaboration agreement to strengthen their partnership in the field of PEM water electrolysis, a promising technology for the production of low-carbon hydrogen.

 

Université Paris-Saclay awarded €32 million as a winner of the national ‘Excellences’ call for proposals - December 2021

Université Paris-Saclay has been named one of the winners of the national ‘Excellences’ call for proposals, which aims to promote excellence in all its forms in French higher education and research. The University has been awarded €32 million in funding for its project SPRINGBOARD.*

 

Inria and Université Paris-Saclay confirm their strategic partnership and announce the creation of the ‘Inria Centre of Université Paris-Saclay’ - October 2021

On Monday 25 October 2021, Inria and Université Paris-Saclay, alongside CentraleSupélec and ENS Paris-Saclay, signed a strategic partnership agreement outlining their strategy and shared roadmap for digital science and technology, which the ‘Inria Centre of Université Paris-Saclay’ will focus on.

 

Université Paris-Saclay establishes its interdisciplinary programmes - October 2021

Université Paris-Saclay continues its structural organisation by establishing its interdisciplinary programmes. These programmes are designed to coordinate research, education and innovation activities between several of the University’s Graduate Schools and Institute, stimulating collaboration on crosscutting subjects.

 

The Doctoral College at Université Paris-Saclay publishes its annual report - September 2021

The report confirms the appeal of PhD programmes at Université Paris-Saclay, with a 4.3% increase in the number of new enrolments over the past five years. 85% of PhD candidates stated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of supervision. The health crisis has had a major impact on PhDs however, in particular regarding the number of vivas, which dropped by 15% compared with 2020, with many being postponed to 2021.

 

Université Paris-Saclay strengthens its commitment to the preservation of cultural and natural heritage as an IAEA Atoms for Heritage Collaborating Centre - September 2021

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently designated Université Paris-Saclay as an IAEA Atoms for Heritage Collaborating Centre in heritage sciences. Sylvie Retailleau, President of Université Paris-Saclay, and Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General of the IAEA officially signed the convention agreement on Friday 17 September 2021. The signing ceremony was also attended by Xavier Sticker, French Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna.

 

COVID-19: An Innovative Candidate Vaccine Shows Preclinical Efficacy - September 2021

Alongside the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, research is ongoing to improve the vaccines available and develop new, effective, and innovative candidates to fight the pandemic and its variants and protect as many people as possible. Researchers from Inserm and Université Paris-Est Créteil at the Vaccine Research Institute (VRI), along with their counterparts from CEA and Université Paris-Saclay, have developed a vaccine targeting key immune system cells called dendritic cells.

 

The 2021 Shanghai Ranking: Université Paris-Saclay remains in the global top 20 - August 2021

On 15 August 2021, Shanghai Jiao Tong University published its Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Université Paris-Saclay was ranked 13th globally and 1st in continental Europe, confirming the University’s position as a world-class research-intensive institution. The University’s performance in this global ranking supports its excellent results in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, which was published earlier this year in June. For the second year in a row, Université Paris-Saclay was ranked 1st in the world for Mathematics.

 

A new non-invasive technique for parchment diagnosis - July 2021

The conservation state of parchments is typically assessed using invasive and sometimes destructive investigation techniques. Scientists from Université Paris-Saclay, the CNRS, École Polytechnique, and the French Ministry of Culture  have developed a non-destructive and non-invasive advanced optical imaging technique to quantitatively assess the degradation state of parchments. The approach was validated using artificially-aged samples and then applied to 13th century parchment manuscripts from the renowned collection at the Chartres Library. Their work was published in the journal Science Advances on 16 July 2021. 

 

Université Paris-Saclay launches a new top double-degree programme in healthcare - July 2021

The Averroes programme at Université Paris-Saclay aims to develop interdisciplinary, personalised study paths that combine a doctorate in medicine or pharmacy with another non-health degree course from a university or a Grande École and a university thesis. It strives to educate the future generation of leaders in research, biomedical innovation and healthcare policies, by combining training in research with high-level medical or pharmaceutical education.

 

Secondary schoolgirls discover science through summer schools at Université Paris-Saclay - July 2021

As part of its policy to raise awareness about women in science, Université Paris-Saclay organised summer schools for the first time from 21 to 25 June for 15-year-old schoolgirls, and for 13-year-old schoolgirls from 28 June to 2 July, at the University’s Faculty of Sciences.

 

Creation of a patient-centered biocluster in oncology - June 2021

Sanofi, Gustave Roussy, Inserm, Institut Polytechnique de Paris and Université Paris-Saclay are committed to developing personalised medicine in France through a patient-centered oncology cluster - the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster.

 

Domestication history of apricots retraced through genomics - June 2021

INRAE, the Universities of Bordeaux and Paris-Saclay, and the CNRS have analysed the entire genome sequence of more than 900 cultivated and related wild apricot trees from different geographic locations. The findings have contributed to our knowledge of adaptation processes and allowed scientists to identify the important genomic sections for breeding and growing fruit trees. Published in the 25 June 2021 issue of Nature Communications, this study retraces the domestication events, which go back two to three thousand years, of apricots that are cultivated today in Europe and China.

 

Jean-Yves Le Gall elected Chair of Université Paris-Saclay’s Strategic Advisory Board - June 2021

Jean-Yves Le Gall, who was President of France’s national space agency, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) until April 2021, was unanimously elected Chair of Université Paris-Saclay’s Strategic Advisory Board on Friday 18 June 2021.

 

French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to continue experiments on foams - June 2021

The FOAM-C experiment studies the properties of liquid foams in zero gravity. It aims to uncover valuable information about the behaviour of such foams, which, often used in solid form, find a wide variety of applications, such as heat insulation and sound proofing, water purification, firefighting, cosmetics, etc. The experiment, which began last year on board the International Space Station (ISS) and is being carried out on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), was designed by an international research team including scientists from the CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne University and Université Gustave Eiffel, with the support of the French space agency CNES. Following initial results, the experiment is now being extended, with new samples set up by Thomas Pesquet on Friday, June 11, 2021.

 

Université Paris-Saclay organises a radio contact with Thomas Pesquet, live from space - June 2021

On 17 June 2021, the International Space Station (ISS) will fly over one of Université Paris-Saclay’s campuses. To mark the occasion, a radio contact lasting approximately 10 minutes will be organised with Thomas Pesquet. A unique opportunity to follow the live conversation between the astronaut and secondary school and university students! The special event will be hosted by Fred Courant, a French journalist and the host of the science TV programme L’Esprit sorcier, and also broadcast live on YouTube.

 

Jean-Michel Bismut, Emeritus Professor at the Orsay Mathematics Laboratory, is awarded the 2021 Shaw Prize - June 2021

The 2021 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences has been awarded to Jean-Michel Bismut, Emeritus Professor at Université Paris-Saclay and researcher at the Orsay Mathematics Laboratory (Université Paris-Saclay/CNRS). He shares the prize with Jeff Cheeger, Professor of Mathematics at New York University. They have been awarded the prize for their remarkable insights that have transformed, and continue to transform modern geometry.

 

The Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021: Université Paris-Saclay strengthens its position as a world-class research-intensive university - June 2021

On 26 May 2021, Shanghai Jiao Tong University published its annual Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS). Just like in 2020, this year Université Paris-Saclay came 1st in the world for Mathematics and 9th for Physics (1st in Europe), demonstrating its research excellence once again. The University also secured spots in the global top 50 for 11 subjects, including Agricultural Sciences (12th globally, 1st in France) and Clinical Medicine (22nd globally, 1st in France).

 

Université Paris-Saclay launches the “Women in business: BeCome a leader” programme - May 2021

Université Paris-Saclay is committed to achieving an inclusive university that promotes equal opportunities. In line with this approach, the University is launching a new intensive training programme for young women, in partnership with the Women Initiative Foundation. The innovative programme aims to help young women develop their leadership skills and potential in business and the economy.

 

Université Paris-Saclay holds 2021 disability inclusion conference on “Innovation for Accessibility” - April 2021

As part of the 2021 edition of the ‘Handiversité’ conference on “Innovation for Accessibility”, Université Paris-Saclay gave centre stage to technological and educational innovation for people with disabilities.

 

A promising new approach to the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension - April 2021

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare and serious disease for which curative treatment is not currently available. Researchers from the Hôpital Bicêtre AP-HP, Université Paris-Saclay and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) have made major progress in developing a new treatment to complement standard of care therapies. Their work was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 1 April 2021 by Marc Humbert, professor at Université Paris-Saclay and head of the Pulmonology Department at the Hôpital Bicêtre AP-HP, and his colleagues from the international PULSAR study.

 

More than 5,000 tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to Earth each year - April 2021

Every year, our planet encounters dust from comets and asteroids. These interplanetary dust particles pass through our atmosphere and give rise to shooting stars. Some of them reach the ground in the form of micrometeorites. An international programme conducted for nearly 20 years by scientists from the CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay and the National Museum of Natural History, with the support of the French polar institute, has determined that 5,200 tons per year of these micrometeorites reach the ground. The study will be available in the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters from 15 April.

 

How much do invasive species cost us? - March 2021

Scientists from the CNRS, the IRD and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle have just released the most comprehensive estimate to date of the financial toll of invasive species: nearly $1.3 trillion over four decades. Published in Nature, their findings are based on the InvaCost database, which is financed by the BNP Paribas Foundation and the Paris-Saclay University Foundation’s AXA Chair of Invasion Biology.

 

A new website for science, innovation and technology news - March 2021

Université Paris-Saclay is launching a new website in French and English dedicated to the University’s science, innovation and technology news. The new website will share cutting-edge research stories from Université Paris-Saclay’s 500 laboratories and platforms, feature the numerous transfers of emerging or established technologies that stem from university research and showcase the latest innovation news.

 

Exploring the nano world in 3D - March 2021

On the nanometric scale (one billionth of a metre), materials can feature new properties. Recently, scientists from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, the University of Graz and Graz University of Technology (Austria) have taken an important step by generating the first 3D image of the structure of infrared light near the nanocube. Their results will be published on 26 March 2021 in Science.

 

The Pépite PEIPS Student Entrepreneurship Day 2021 - March 2021

Over the past 10 years, the PÉPITE PEIPS Student Entrepreneurship Day has become a major event for entrepreneurship in the Paris-Saclay region. Organised by Université Paris-Saclay, CentraleSupélec, the Paris-Saclay Urban Community and the associations Start In Saclay and Genius CentraleSupélec, this year’s edition will be held online on Thursday 25 March.

 

Results from the final of “My Thesis in 180 seconds” at Université Paris-Saclay - March 2021

Condensing and presenting months or even years of research in just 180 seconds is no easy feat but…it is possible! Fifteen doctoral students from Université Paris-Saclay took on that exact challenge during the final of the “My Thesis in 180 seconds” competition which took place on Thursday 11 March 2021.

 

New development prospects for the Fablab Digiscope at Université Paris-Saclay - March 2021

Created as part of the Equipex Digiscope initiative in 2013, the Fablab Digiscope at Université Paris-Saclay was awarded two grants in 2020 from the Prefecture of Ile-de-France and the Regional Council of Ile-de-France, marking a turning point in the Fab Lab’s development.

 

Gender Equality Week 2021: “Does health have a gender?” - March 2021

As part of International Women’s Day, Université Paris-Saclay is organising, for the sixth year running, a Gender Equality Week throughout the month of March on Gender and Health.

 

Charcot-Marie Tooth disease: a French RNA-based therapeutic innovation - March 2021

Charcot-Marie Tooth disease is the most common hereditary neurological disease in the world and no treatment is currently available to fight this disease. Scientists from the CNRS, INSERM, the AP-HP and the Paris-Saclay and Paris universities have developed a therapy based on degrading the coding RNA for this protein in mice. Their work is patented and has been published in Communications Biology.

 

Université Paris-Saclay launches a SPOC on “Critical Thinking and Science in Society” - February 2021

Université Paris-Saclay is offering all of its first year undergraduate students a new course in the form of a Small Private Online Course (SPOC). The course is designed to help students separate fact from fiction and promote a vision of the scientific approach that values its rightful place at the heart of society.

 

Université Paris-Saclay commits to the fight against period poverty - February 2021

In France, it is estimated that period poverty affects around 1.7 million people, many of whom are students. Université Paris-Saclay is committed to improving living and health standards for its students and to fighting against the taboos surrounding menstruation. As a result, the University has decided to launch the “Never in the red again!” operation.

 

Artificial Intelligence helps to provide more personalised and predictive care for Covid-19 patients - February 2021

A new AI tool has been developed to provide doctors with a severity score for COVID-19 patients as soon as they are diagnosed to predict outcomes. It is the result of a collaboration between doctors and researchers from Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, the Bicêtre Hospital – AP-HP, INRIA and the start-up Owkin.

 

Highlights from 2020

A look back on some of the University's most memorable news in 2020.


Nasopharyngeal antigen tests: the Faculty of Pharmacy organises continuing education sessions - December 2020

The Faculty of Pharmacy at Paris-Saclay University is organising continuing education sessions for professionals authorised to carry out nasopharyngeal antigen tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.


This year, Paris-Saclay University celebrates Giving Tuesday as a fortnight of warm generosity and community spirit from 1 to 14 December 2020 - December 2020

Founded in 2012 in the United States, Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement backed by the United Nations Foundation. Intended to counter Black Friday and Cyber Monday consumerism, the movement first emerged in France in 2018 with the support of the Association Française des Fundraisers. The Paris-Saclay University Foundation quickly joined the initiative and is organising several actions throughout the local area with various local partners and charities.


A new Director for the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers at Paris-Saclay University (OSUPS) - November 2020

On 29 October, the Council for the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de l’Université Paris-Saclay (OSUPS), unanimously appointed Alain Abergel, Professor at Paris-Saclay University, as the Observatory’s new Director. Taking over from Nabila Aghanim, Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), he will assume office on 1 January 2021.


Eight doctors at Paris-Saclay University are awarded the Chancellerie Prize - November 2020

This year, Paris-Saclay University’s doctors were recognised for their research excellence, with eight awarded prizes from the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris.


The Initiative of Excellence label definitively awarded to Paris-Saclay University - November 2020

The international IdEx jury (Initiative d’Excellence), which has supported the founding members of Paris-Saclay University since 2012, has rewarded the University for its new institutional model, in place since January 2020. The label will act as a new springboard for Paris-Saclay, helping to boost awareness of French higher education and research internationally.


Has the hidden matter of the Universe been discovered? - November 2020

Astrophysicists consider that around 40% of the ordinary matter that makes up stars, planets and galaxies remains undetected, concealed in the form of a hot gas in the complex cosmic web.


2020 Shanghai Ranking: Paris-Saclay University is ranked 14th worldwide - August 2020

Every year, on 15 August, Shanghai Jiao Tong University publishes a ranking of the Top 1000 universities in the world. This year, Paris-Saclay University has been ranked among the Top 20 institutions worldwide. 

 

Asthma not a compounding factor for COVID-19 cases - July 2020

A study carried out by researchers at Bicêtre Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris / Université Paris-Saclay on a cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia has shown that asthmatics do not present an increased risk of developing a severe form of the disease. The research was published in the European Respiratory Journal on Monday 30 July 2020.

 

Paris-Saclay University ranked 1st in the world for mathematics - July 2020

The annual Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has placed ParisSaclay University first in the world for mathematics. The University’s position as a research-intensive university of international standing was further cemented by being ranked 9th in the world for Physics (1st in Europe), as well as a top 25 place for medicine and agriculture.