The implementation of the I-Site Future project

In terms of research, 2020 saw the launch of a new call for ‘exploratory’ projects. The specific orientation of the call for project framework in 2020 is support for young researchers and Support for Public Policies. 10 projects were selected out of the 24 submitted.

In 2020, the consortium also laid the way for the launch of a new form of call for projects, linked to the societal objective of the University, i.e., a ‘Researcher-Citizen’ Call for Projects, designed to foster research projects in which research teams and ‘citizen collectives’ join forces in the co-building of knowledge. Furthermore, in the framework of the follow-up of research projects supported by I-SITE FUTURE and in order to promote the results and momentum, in anticipation of the assessment of I-Site, several scientific seminars were held on the supported projects, in particular Impulsion and Exploratory. An initial event day was held in June 2020, and a second in January 2021. The aim of these days was to share the knowledge obtained to date with the scientific community and I-Site’s socio-economic partners.

In terms of training also, calls for projects pursued their momentum. The second call for projects devoted to training ‘in’ and ‘through’ research closed on 31 January 2020. Geared towards inter-establishment collaborations, the objective of the call was to support teaching projects in response to the Programme School of Excellence action, which aims to intensify research training in the Engineering, Architecture or Master cycles. Seven projects received funding. In addition, the call was also aimed at setting up BESTm, a multi-disciplinary bachelor degree in Economy, Science and Multimedia Technology, which is scheduled to open for the start of the 2021 academic year. The recruitment of the 1st class of students is ongoing. Lastly, on 3 November, the Université Gustave Eiffel Observatory for Teaching Practices organised the second edition of Teaching Day, under the title ‘Reflection on and sharing of remote and hybrid teaching practices.’ The event took place online and brought together some fifty participants. Throughout the day, each participant was able to share their experience of teaching continuity. Speakers presented various tools designed to accompany students and teachers in distance-teaching.

In the framework of its ‘Partnerships’ component, I-SITE FUTURE launched a new call for pre-maturation projects, aimed at supporting the emergence of innovative projects, funding the development stages of laboratory-based projects and informing and supporting holders through to the maturation of their project, in association with the existing regional ecosystem. 3 projects received funding in this framework.

On the international front, a 2nd AIMCI call (Incentive Call for Mobility and International Cooperation) was launched in January 2020. 23 projects received support to strengthen or initiate new international collaboration. I-SITE FUTURE also launched a first ‘Training School / Summer School’ Call for Projects, aimed at supporting the organisation of summer schools in 2021. 3 projects were submitted and are currently being examined. Finally, Université Gustave Eiffel has become the French operator of F-SATI (French South-African Institute of Technology), alongside Paris-Est Créteil University, and of 2 host and co-host universities in South Africa:

Tshwane University of Technology TUT (formerly Pretoria Technikon, since 1996)
Cape Peninsula University of Technology CPUT (since 2008)

This role will contribute to the development of the training institute through international research in South Africa, with perspectives for the creation of new Master (2 to 3 years) and research training programmes.

In terms of visibility, the annual event on the cities of the future, Future Days, was held from 1 to 3 December 2020, online due to the health crisis. This edition attracted 700 participants, including 85 speakers from 70 local authority bodies or companies, who shared their knowledge and exchanged expertise through workshops and plenary sessions.

Regarding student affairs, the key event was naturally the setting-up of the student parliament. A unique body in the French university sphere, the task of this parliament is to contribute to the well-being of students, both in terms of their training and daily lives, by supporting in particular projects ranging from the organisation of cultural events to the installation of venues geared towards student life. The University’s student affairs policy will form the subject of discussions within the Parliament and will lead to the drafting of a multi-annual master plan. The MAISON programme, based since September 2019 in a hall of residence on the Cité Descartes campus, was extended in 2020 to a second hall of residence, that of the Paris City and Paris-East School of Architecture (Éav&t), which helped to boost the recruitment of residents. The aim of this programme is to enable the scholarship students of the campus to avail of social accommodation in exchange for their involvement in collective projects with a social impact for the district.

Other events punctuated the academic year, despite the health situation. One example is the ‘Rentrée Climat’ climate programme. Around 25 teachers and staff, in addition to 15 students from the University received training in leading this workshop. The Fresque du Climat in particular was integrated into teaching programmes, to raise awareness for 1000 students. Lastly, preparations for the 1st City Hackathon got under way in 2020, for an edition postponed to the 1st term of 2021 (March). It was organised by Université Gustave Eiffel in partnership with the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, Comue Paris-Est Sup and the Paris - Vallée de la Marne Conurbation, to foster students’ interest in entrepreneurship and the production of innovative services. The theme was ‘Imagine a day in the life of a person in Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games’. Under the supervision of teacher-researchers, 48 students took part in 11 challenges organised by the event’s partners, including BNP Paribas, Paris - Vallée de la Marne Conurbation, EDF, Google Cloud, GRDF, the Descartes Incubator, La Poste, Orange, RATP and the City of Paris.

FUTURE Days 2020

An annual event around the cities of the future, the theme of the 2020 edition of Future Days was ‘Science and support for urban-region public policies.’ The vice-chairmanship team Support for Public Policies led a ‘meet & greet’ session to present an overview of its actions. It also provided a summary of the teachings gleaned from this edition of Future Days, currently available on video at:

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