The University of Pretoria (UP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE) on 12 December 2018, becoming the first university in Southern Africa to be invited to enter into a formal collaboration with this institution.

Established by the French Prime Minister and Minister of Education in 2017, MUSE consists of a consortium of 19 institutions in France, including a number of research organisations, colleges and hospitals. The aim of MUSE is to strengthen the University of Montpellier to become a globally recognised thematic research-intensive university in agriculture and food; environment; and human health. The University of Montpellier is currently rated by the Shanghai Rankings as number one in Ecology.

Prof. Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP, said this collaboration builds on UP’s long-term strategic goal of strengthening the University’s research and international profile. “Visibility of the University’s research and academic programmes is very critical in efforts to make UP one of the leading research-intensive universities in Africa and beyond.”

Prof Cheryl de la Rey and  Dr Francois Pierott (seated) with Prof Stephanie Burton, UP Vice-Principal, Research and Postgraduate Education and Prof Patrick Caron, International Director of Montpellier University of Excellence

The UP-MUSE MoU, signed on UP's Future Africa Campus by the Executive Director of MUSE, Dr François Pierrot and Prof. De la Rey, will result in collaborative activities such as joint education and research missions, complementary research and education projects, training of academic and technical staff, study missions and staff development, exchanging scientific, technical and educational information, and joint publication of research results.

Dr François Pierrot, Executive Director of MUSE, and Dr Patrick Caron, International Director of MUSE, said this agreement will strengthen the bilateral long-term partnership between MUSE members and the University of Pretoria. This will contribute to boosting the attractiveness of both institutions’ research and education activities on the global stage.

MUSE membership is by invitation only, and prominent universities have joined it as global partners during the past year, including the University of California, Davis, USA; the University of Barcelona, Spain; the University of Porto, Portugal; the American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands.