Thirtynine universities were selected the ten projects

End of the first act. Six University projects selected (Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Toulouse) for the first wave of operation Campus, released in early November to the selection Committee, will be known in the amount of the budget, planning Friday detail. The second wave, which will concern four projects selected, including those of Saclay and Aubervilliers (read below), will take place this winter. In the meantime, Valérie Pécresse describes lot of consolation that it grants to eleven other projects, which had not been retained by the Board of the Campus operation but are considered "promising" and "innovative".

Has the financial crisis changed the operation Campus provides

We will not return to our commitment to 5 billion euros of the Campus operation. Crisis makes it even more essential for local actors, because these investments will revitalize their territories. Most of those that I met in Lyon, Bordeaux, Nancy for example measure these issues. Unfortunately, other local communities are slightly indented. Yet, their presence is essential to the financial plan, because we want to leverage with the partners of "1 euro for 1 euro.

Thirty-nine universities were selected the ten projects. Will the other not feel aggrieved

No, because they will benefit from faster projects State-regions agreement credits. Furthermore, EUR 400 million will be distributed over three years to those who, without been selected by the jury, made "promising" and "innovative" projects which deserve encouragement. As of 2009, 170 million will be allocated through public-private partnerships

How will the distribution be

The four "innovative" files of Dijon, Le Havre, Cergy and Valenciennes will each receive 20 million. The seven "promising" projects of Lille, Nancy, Clermont-Ferrand, Rennes, Nantes, Nice, Créteil-Marne-la-Vallée will receive 30 to 60 million euros, according to their scientific potential, the number of students, community investment and the quality of the project. Projects of Lille, Nancy, Créteil Marne-la - Vallée had been particularly noticed by the Committee of selection of the operation Campus. Finally, these amounts will be "arrow" on the most needed specific projects or the carriers for each University, for example, the home of foreign researchers at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, the Atrium student Nancy...

The operation Campus has accelerated between universities. Is your goal in the term fusion

My goal is the emergence of fifteen major academic poles to international visibility. We do it within eighteen months, which was unexpected in 2006! DES PRES (research and upper education pole) had, while began the movement by allowing universities to consider these reconciliations on an intellectual level, but what them was "cemented" the are the means of operation Campus. Should we go further Universities to decide: when talking about University amalgamation to Lille, Montpellier, Metz and Nancy, when one creates in Aix Strasbourg, it is very good, but if Bordeaux or Paris unite without merge this is not serious.

To improve visibility, you also suggest the idea of a European ranking of universities, which will be discussed tomorrow at a conference organized by the French Presidency of the European Union.

Students are not familiar with European universities and they are little mobile: 4000 scholarships Erasmus found no payee in 2007. To give a little clarity and European visibility, we would like to create a thematic classification by disciplines, on the model of the German CHE. Tomorrow we will try to convince the members, including the smaller countries, play the game.