The cross-border Pyrenees-Mediterranean PRES

Clarisse Faria-Fortecoƫf

A Centre for Research and Higher Education to strengthen institutional cooperation and bilateral Catalan existing space on both sides of the border.

Established on the basis of a framework agreement signed on March 27, 2010 between the universities of Girona, of Lleida and of the Balearic Islands, and the French universities of Perpignan (UPVD) and Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC), the Pyrenees-Mediterranean PRES (Pôle de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur) aims to be in the Catalan territory, a Centre for Research and Higher Education with 80,000 students and 3,300 teachers-researchers and researchers.

Cooperation within the PRES will provide students with a variety of training and pathways of excellence (especially, pluridisciplinary) and will allow researchers to strengthen the existing research partnerships (especially, transdisciplinary).

In a first step, the five universities will focus their collaboration on the following areas: marine science, renewable energy, sustainable development of territories, Catalan studies, joint Masters and doctoral programs.