The Multidisciplinary Consortium of French-speaking Universities (COMUF-UVSQ) held its first general assembly, bringing together representatives from European, Asian, and African institutions. This initiative, led by UVSQ, aims to unite universities worldwide to address contemporary scientific and societal challenges through shared expertise.
The official launch took place on October 8, 2026, at the salons of the Conseil départemental des Yvelines, in the presence of institutional, academic, and diplomatic figures, including the Francophonie University Agency (AUF) and the International Conference of Engineering and Technical Training Institutions of French Expression (CITEF).
Priority collaboration areas include artificial intelligence, engineering training, ecological transition, greenhouse gas modeling, health, and humanities. The network already includes 11 signatory institutions from Europe, Africa, and Asia, such as the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) and the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon).
Professor Éric Azabou, Vice-President for International Relations at UVSQ, explained that COMUF-UVSQ aims to make French-speaking university cooperation a vector for pooling French-speaking training, research, and innovation strengths, under the leadership of the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
The network seeks to strengthen multilateral ties, promote the circulation of knowledge and students, pool educational and scientific resources, foster structuring research projects with high added value, and develop innovative training programs to build a Francophonie focused on the challenges of the 21st century.
UVSQ President Loïc Josseran emphasized that international scientific and academic cooperation is a necessity in the face of rapid changes and common challenges. The university, located in Versailles, the site of the founding summit in 1986, embraces its historical and geographical responsibility within the French-speaking world.
