Partners
Based in Cergy, at 45 minutes away by train from Paris, CY Cergy Paris Université is since the 28th of October 2019 the union of three entities: The University of Cergy-Pontoise, the EISTI engineering school, the Université Paris Seine. CY University also includes two composing entities, School for Sport Careers (ILEPS), specialised in sport, and the School of Social Practices (EPSS), specialised in social practice services, and the ESSEC Business School, which is affiliated.CY is a multidisciplinary higher education institution including 6 campuses, an engineering school, an institute for teacher training gathering 24.000 students and over 1700 members of staff. As a public institution with a scientific, cultural and professional vocation, student oriented, anchored on its territory, it shares knowledge, inspires creativity and promotes innovation & entrepreneurship. Its areas of activity are teaching and research and it covers all areas of study and research less medicine.
Its 24 000 students are learning on its international campus and in four graduate schools:
- CY Tech: a school for science, engineering, economics and management
- CY Arts and Humanities: CY’s human and social sciences division, comprising 4 schools (with the support of the Foundation of Heritage Sciences)
- CY Education: National Higher Institute of Teaching and Education the Applied Schools of Social Service and School for Sport Careers
- CY Law & Political Sciences: law and Science po Saint-Germain.
CY University, tries to reinvent itself continuously by:
- Reviewing teaching methods to make knowledge more accessible and to enhance skills of everyone;
- Enabling interdisciplinary approaches
- Accelerating and creating value from research, technology and knowledge transfer between the academic world the socio-economic and cultural stakeholders
- Developing long term strategic partnerships with Europe, Asia and Africa
In 2017, the composing members of CY Cergy Paris Université (Université Paris Seine, University of Cergy-Pontoise, EISTI) with the ESSEC Business school have been laureate of the highly competitive and prestigious French national programme “Initiative d’Excellence” which aims to foster top universities in France (19 laureates). The objective of this “Initiative d’excellence”, named the Paris Seine Initiative, is to boost research potential and international attractivity, to reach the top 200 of world research universities within 2030.
For this purpose, CY Université and ESSEC (through an affiliation to the initiative of excellence programme stamped by the State, and through Université Paris Seine) intend to reshape their academic environment in Cergy Pontoise and propose a new model in the French education system to better accompany the changing society. CY University, places the support of the transformation of society at the heart of its strategy. It is dedicated to the inclusion of communities through various actions, like supporting international students, developing alternative learning methods, developing innovative working spaces for different actors, developing the critical thinking of students, etc.
In 2019, CY Cergy Paris University together with the Rectorat de Versailles (general and vocational lower and higher secondary education in the western part of Paris Region) the Etablissement Public du Château, du Musée et du Domaine de Versailles (the public company in charge of the Chateau de Versailles) and the Région Ile de France founded the “Campus Versailles, Heritage and Craftsmanship of Excellence” which begins its activities as an internal entity of CY. “Campus Versailles” that has been awarded the Campus des Métiers et des Qualifications (CMQ) and Campus d’excellence label.
CY Cergy Paris University has a long experience in conceiving and working on regional, national and European projects. It is a partner and a coordinator in a number of projects in research funding programmes like H2020, but also in different actions of the Erasmus+ Programme. Through its participation in those projects, CY Cergy Paris University developed an experience in the management and in the implementation of European projects. Submitting projects and developing partnership networks in Europe is an important part of the institution’s strategy.
For instance, as one of the founders of the EUTOPIA 2050 European university (one of the 41 projects funded under the Erasmus+ “European Universities” call), CY University has developed an Alliance of European universities and is part of an ambitious project aiming to accompany the transformation of higher education.
The University of Crete is a multi-disciplinary, research-oriented public educational institution. Located at campuses in Heraklion and Rethymnon on the island of Crete, a site rich in ancient and modern Mediterranean cultures, the University offers a vibrant social and intellectual environment for research and education.
It is a young public educational institution, established in 1973 accepting its first students in 1977-78. Currently, around 20,000 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students study in UoC through the Faculties of Philosophy, Education, Social Sciences, Sciences and technology, and Medicine, taught by an outward-looking academic staff committed to excellence in research and teaching. Postgraduate studies, research, and research training in Crete benefit from an academic and technological environment of international standards, built up over the last 45 years, by Departments of UoC with the Institutes of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), the University General Hospital (PagNi), the Hellenic Mediterranean University and other institutions in Crete. These provide a critical mass of expertise in AHSS, STEM disciplines and Medicine, as well as access to excellent complementary facilities for research and research training in highly competitive fields.
Center for Social Innovation (CSI) is a Research and Development organization, which focuses on fostering social innovation that can bring about a positive change to local, national, regional, and global entities. These entities include but are not limited to governments, local administrative agencies, non-for-profit agencies, commercial entities, and educational institutions. The CSI team is composed of open-minded, fully equipped researchers, entrepreneurs, project managers, trainers, and Information Technology specialists. CSI encompasses the capability and capacity to identify social needs, design and implement adjusted initiatives, and provide for sustainable growth. The CSI team’s areas of expertise are in the fields of traditional education and e-learning, entrepreneurship, start-ups, innovation, creativity, negotiations, IP advisory services, social responsibility, business advisory solutions, data analytics, information technologies, project management, project evaluation services, product validation, training and computer gaming. CSI draws know-how and skills from its wide global network, which includes academic institutions, IT companies, public services, international organizations, start-ups, and public services.
Established in 1632, the University of Tartu (UT) is the oldest and largest university in Estonia both in terms of staff and student numbers, as well as the volume of its teaching, research and development activities. UT is Estonia’s only classical university where research is conducted in the fields of humanities and arts, social sciences, medical sciences, and natural and exact sciences. Today, UT comprises four faculties (Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Science and Technology) with 13,400 students (incl. more than 1600 international students) enrolled in its 197 research-based undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs. UT is the only university in the Baltic region that belongs to the top 1.2% of the world’s best universities, ranking 285th in the QS World University Rankings, and within the 250–300 range in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. UT accounts for more than a half of all the doctoral degrees conferred (129 in 2019), research publications (close to 2,000 high-level publications published in 2019 according to the Estonian Research Information System), and national R&D financing in Estonia. In its R&D activities, UT focuses on five main areas: entrepreneurial and socially responsible society; healthy and active longlived people; resources and technologies for environmentally friendly economic growth; information and communication technology for developing an innovative society; and the sustainability of the Estonian language and culture in an open world.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), is a competitive, high-quality, socially committed and internationally oriented university located in Brussels, Belgium with strong linkages to the academic world and a wide network of contacts. VUB brings to the consortium its expertise and network of experts on EU affairs, AI ethics, collaborative design, and platform and media responses to online disinformation.
At VUB, the Research Centre on Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (Brussels School of Governance) conducts cutting-edge academic and policy-relevant research on the ongoing digital transformation of society. Disinformation is a research priority in our centre. We view disinformation as a manifestation of distrust and disorder in democracy. This has resulted an edited volume on Disinformation and Digital Media as a Challenge for Democracy, a UNESCO/ITU commissioned report on Countering Digital Disinformation While Respecting Freedom of Expression, a European Parliament commissioned study on Regulating Disinformation with Artificial Intelligence, in addition to a steady stream of peer-reviewed journal publications.
Among several disinformation-related research projects, CD2I coordinates EDMO-BELUX, a Belgium-Luxembourg Research Hub on Digital Media and Disinformation. The hub brings together an unprecedented, experienced and extensive network of fact-checkers, media, disinformation analysts, media literacy organisations and academics to detect, analyse and expose emerging harmful disinformation campaigns. Especially relevant for Shield vs. Disinfo, through its media literacy campaigns, EDMO BELUX raises awareness and builds resilience among citizens and media to combat disinformation.
For over 30 years, ATC supplies and manages the appropriate technology and resources to support the profitable growth of medium and large sized companies and government entities around the globe. In particular, it designs, provides and enables novel, end to end IT solutions for all business functions, on time and on budget, both on premise and in the cloud, to help independent enterprises grow and compete.
The Medical University of Gdańsk (MUG) is a modern academic center, recognizable in the country and in the world. The University is characterized by high scientific and development potential, which consists in particular of: experienced and renowned research teams, a growing number of prestigious international publications and grants, as well as a wide range and quality of research confirmed by high categorization of units. The MUG is also the only medical university selected to the elite group of 10 best Polish universities awarded in the prestigious competition Excellence Initiative – Research University.