A joint initiative between the University of Ottawa and France Universités, an association of French institutions, is set to strengthen university and scientific ties between France and Canada.
“As a bilingual university located in the heart of Canada’s capital, the University of Ottawa has always maintained a special connection with France,” said Marie-Eve Sylvestre, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa, which is the largest French-English bilingual university in the world.
“Given its reputation as a leader in teaching and research in French, the University of Ottawa has many priorities in common with institutions in France, including support to Francophone communities in minority language settings and the development of a dynamic and inclusive research community.”
Sylvestre said that the France-Canada campus will consolidate these historic ties, “providing space for collaboration and innovation, opening the door to French and Canadian institutions that wish to strengthen their joint initiatives”.
The two partners signed a letter of intent while attending the France–Canada University Dialogue: Issues and Challenges for 21st-Century Universities event held on the university campus.
The announcement follows a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Universities Canada and France Universités to strengthen higher education and academic communities in both countries.
The France-Canada campus, for which a timeline has not yet been announced, sets out to:
- Strengthen academic and scientific cooperation in teaching, research and innovation between institutions of higher learning in France and Canada
- Maintain a visible and structuring French presence in Canada’s capital, as it relates to France Universités member institutions and France’s institutional stakeholders in Canada
- Strengthen the visibility and participation of Canadian post-secondary institutions in their collaborations with French partners
- Serve as an academic and scientific incubator to facilitate the development of joint programs, dual degrees and collaborative research projects
- Promote the movement of students, professors and administrative staff between institutions of higher learning in both countries
- Help build networks between university communities in France and Canada in a spirit of openness, bilingualism and innovation
France Universités president Lamri Adoui said that given current geopolitical instability, high-level academic dialogue between the two countries has “become indispensable”.
Given the current geopolitical instability, high-level academic dialogue between our two countries has become indispensable
Lamri Adoui, France Universités
For Universities Canada’s president and CEO, Gabe Miller, the new partnership is an “exciting step forward in strengthening academic and scientific collaboration between Canada and France”.
Miller said the announcement demonstrates how a shared commitment to innovation, mobility and bilingual education can translate into “meaningful, lasting connections that benefit students, researchers and communities in both countries”.
