| Paris Sciences et Lettres - Quartier Latin | |
|---|---|
| Established | April 2010 |
| Type | Research and Higher Education Institution |
| President | Claude Cohen-Tannoudji |
| Students | 5 000 |
| Postgraduates | 3 000 |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Campus | Quartier latin |
| Website | www.parissciencesetlettres.org |
Paris Sciences et Lettres - Quartier Latin, also known as PSL - Quartier Latin, is a French higher education and research institution. It was founded in April 2010 by five prominent French institutions : the École Normale Supérieure, the Collège de France, the Paris Observatory, the École nationale supérieure de chimie de Paris and the École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris. Though these five chartered entities still make up the core of the project, PSL has known a significant growth in its membership, as new institutions adhered to it in the framework of scientific and academic cooperations. It stands now in the middle of a galaxy of twelve institutions. PSL received government approval in July 2010 and gained a legal status as an endowment.[1] In the long run it aims at becoming a world-class leader in education and research, building upon its excellent potential.[2]
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The creation of Paris Sciences et Lettres results from a joint initiative by leading scientific institutions, which share a common location at the very heart of Paris, France, in the so-called Latin Quarter. Those institutions, encompassing a broad academic scope, decided to join forces and embark upon a series of common projects. All institutions partaking to the project are involved in fundamental research in several fields, with cutting-edge specialists in mathematics, physics, chemical engineering, nature sciences, neurosciences and astronomy. Its name, which means "Sciences and Humanities", hints at the fact that PSL wants to push to the forefront contact points between "hard" and "soft" sciences.
Beyond its academic goals, PSL is equally committed to keep Paris downtown as a high place for scientific and student life. Its campus project is liable to give a new impulse Paris, with its three-fold location in the Latin Quarter, in the South of Paris and in the West. From this point of view, it runs counter with a general trend that tends to delocate campuses outside of Paris.
One of the major projects PSL is currently engaged in is the "Investments for the Future" project, organized by the French ministry for Research[3] Endowed with a total of € 21,9 billion, this initiative incentivizes major changes in French academic structures. From the very beginning, PSL has been a notable shareholder in the calls for projects. Up to know, it has made proposals for three flagships initiatives:
On March 25, 2011, it was announced by the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research that PSL* was one of the preselected applications. A second version of the project will be submitted before the end of May 2011. It shall take into accounts the remarks made by the international jury in the preselection phase. The final results are to be declared by the end of June.