Bring together, integrate, differentiate. Elements on the establishment of research and higher education hubs
Description
The establishment of research and higher education centres is part of the profound reforms that have been taking place over the last fifteen years in the French higher education and research system. The establishment of quadrennial contracts, the increased involvement of local authorities and the rise of the European level have undermined its state, sectoral and centralised character. the creation of PRES is a decisive step in their consolidation. It can, among other things, strengthen the “territorialisation” of the French higher education system. By this concept, two dynamics are designated: on the one hand, a strengthening of the place of local elected representatives in the negotiation of higher education and research policies; on the other hand, a redefinition of the boundaries and modalities of intervention.By mobilising 52 interviews and a list of the available written sources on the subject, the study questions these trends. It proceeds in two stages. In a first, it analyses the creation of four PRES representative of the structures created on the national territory (Aix Marseille Université, UniverSud Paris, European University of Brittany, and the case of Poitou-Charentes, Limousin, Centre). In a second step, it compares these four cases to the other PRES to isolate the logics at work and to identify possible scenarios of evolution.