In 2020, the definition of work, consultation and discussion methods between research units relative to the building of the University’s policies made major advances. This effort was already in preparation in 2019 with the setting-up of ‘meetings between Université Gustave Eiffel research bodies.’
Provided for in the University’s statutes, the ‘Research College’, which is not an elected body, was created in January. It acts as a discussion body, rather than a top-down information disseminator, around key topics for research units. The body is composed of delegates from these units and the opinions voiced serve to forge a consensus or, on the contrary, to take into account differing views on a given matter. The various phases of the health crisis did not prevent this body from meeting five times in 2020, mostly via full video-conference, thus ensuring balanced participation between delegates based on the various campuses and producing an unexpected but positive effect during the health crisis, even if in-person meetings allow for more insightful and humanised discussion.
Prior to the elections held in late 2020, several projects were dealt with, leading to the creation of elected bodies and in particular the Academic Board, whose statutory role is to adopt, among others, ‘the allocation of University resources for training and research […], the distribution of University posts per unit, component body and member-school […], the allocation of University funding per unit, component body and member-school […], and the profile of teaching-research, research and teaching positions open to recruitment […]’. Among the issues raised in 2020: the ‘Univ Eiffel’ signature policy, the alignment of motivational research tools from predecessor establishments, consideration of the global attribution of doctoral contracts on establishment credits, the road maps for the University’s ‘Research open to Society’ policies, the University’s 2020-2022 road map drafted in association with the supervisor ministries and the scientific events to be implemented, etc.
Following the creation of elected bodies, certain projects are to be re-launched in 2021, based on work groups and regular discussions between the Research College, the Academic Board and its specialised commissions.
