Contribution For The Marriage Gift

Loan: University pampered

Higher education and research carve the lion's share with respectively eleven and eight billion euros. Only for universities, investment spend ten billion in the project-Rocard Juppe to 8.7 billion. "There are a few cuts and travel but no major changes," says one note, however, the Conference of University Presidents (CPU).
Its members are satisfied with a "significant and unexpected financial windfall," but criticized the rules for granting the latter: "All for a few, nothing for others," laments Fontanille Jacques, one of its Vice-Presidents. For the government, now more than ever to distinguish universities "of international élitedeniveau" a strategy already initiated by the campus operation, two years ago.
latter, wanted by Nicolas Sarkozy, put universities in competition asking them to submit a successful project to recover some of the money generated by the sale of EDF shares. Also in this logic, nearly eight billion of large loan will focus on five to ten groups of establishments, selected after a call to international project. "Our goal is simple: we want the best universities in the world," said Nicolas Sarkozy. Each of these campuses will have a capital of about "One billion euros" to be "revenue generator". "We will demand excellence, a new governance, contracting, autonomy, partnership with business and obviously results," he warns.

8 billion for research

Heavily promoted by the president, the campus on the Saclay plateau in the Paris region will be benefited as receive independently, and "immediately," one billion euros to group "on a single site" the great schools of ParisTech, Central Paris, Normal sup Cachan and Paris-XI. Saclay had already been well endowed by the "campus plan" of 850 million euros. The big loan just
also strengthen a billion "plan campus initiated through the sale of EDF shares to achieve the goal initially posted by Nicolas Sarkozy to 5 billion euros.
Under "Training", 500 million will go to 500 other learning and the creation of "20,000 extra places" in the dormitories. Of the 8 billion allocated to research, 3.5 go to his "recovery" and innovation. Some 2.5 billion will go to the health and biotechnology. There will be 850 million to create "five" institutions of university hospitals' level of global excellence, the goal again being to "devote significant resources on a few teams."

Source: LeFigaro.fr (December 2009)