After nearly a decade of fostering dialogue and cooperative initiatives, our two universities are taking a significant step forward with the formalization of a strategic partnership. This key milestone marks the culmination of years of exchange and paves the way for an exceptional collaboration, including a new research chair in climate science diplomacy, co-led by both institutions.
From June 1 to 3, 2026, the Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) welcomed a delegation from the Université de Sherbrooke for the official launch of their strategic partnership. Conceived as a landmark scientific and institutional event, these three days highlighted the collaborations already underway between the two institutions, as well as new prospects for cooperation in research, education, and innovation.
The program included visits to laboratories and core research facilities, meetings with research teams, and discussions around today's and tomorrow's major societal challenges. The delegations explored themes such as health, neuroscience, ageing, quantum science, materials, energy, science diplomacy and climate, through visits to the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (UGA, Inserm), the CEA, the Néel Institute (CNRS, UGA), the Laboratory of Electrochemistry and Physical Chemistry of Materials and Interfaces (LEPMI – UGA, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Grenoble INP – UGA), and the Maison de la création et de l'innovation (UGA).
The afternoon of June 2 was dedicated to the institutional launch of the partnership, in the presence of Yassine Lakhnech, President of UGA, and Jean-Pierre Perreault, Rector of the Université de Sherbrooke. On this occasion, both institutions presented their international strategies and several flagship joint projects, including the Laboratory of nanotechnologies et mesosystems (LN2) and the Chair in Scientific and Climate Diplomacy, which held its first scientific seminar on June 3 in Grenoble.
LN2: A driver of French-Canadian scientific cooperation
A joint research center based in Sherbrooke, the Laboratory of nanotechnologies and nanosystms (LN2 – UGA, Université de Sherbrooke, CNRS, INSA Lyon, Centrale Lyon),is dedicated to nanoscience and quantum engineering. Multi-institutional, multicultural, international, and interdisciplinary, LN2 serves as a true catalyst for scientific collaboration between Europe and North America. It spans the full technological spectrum - from materials to systems - drawing on advanced micro- and nano-fabrication processes. The laboratory also plays a major role in transferring innovations to the socio-economic sphere through numerous projects conducted with industrial partners alongside academic researchers.
A chair at the crossroads of knowledge, technology, and politics
The Chair in Climate Science Diplomacy aims to rethink the role of science in international relations and to strengthen dialogue between researchers, diplomats, policymakers, and citizens. In a context marked by disinformation and growing distrust towards scientific institutions, this chair aspires to rebuild climate diplomacy on the foundations of trust, transparency, and the co-construction of knowledge.
Its research focuses more specifically on:
• the role of emerging technologies (AI, open data, blockchain, quantum) in climate governance and power dynamics;
• the circulation, legitimization, and mediation of scientific knowledge in the public sphere;
• the inclusion and diversity of civic voices in the production and public deliberation of knowledge;
• the transfer and mobilisation of knowledge in support of concerted climate action.
These international meetings aim to strengthen synergies between academic communities, open new interdisciplinary collaborations, and outline the major research directions that will shape the partnerships of tomorrow.
