KTH and Institut Polytechnique de Paris strengthen their collaboration

On Thursday, 4 September, KTH Deputy President Mikael Lindström and Thierry Coulhon, President of Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), signed a memorandum of understanding. The agreement was signed to confirm an already strong collaboration, covering advanced topics such as energy, health and AI. The signing ceremony took place in the boardroom at KTH and was attended by representatives from both universities, the French Ambassador to Sweden, as well as Swedish and French exchange students.

“Today’s agreement with Institut Polytechnique de Paris marks a formal step forward, but it leans on years of strong and dynamic collaboration, built on shared academic values, mutual respect, and the determination to jointly tackle the major challenges of our time. Our partnership reflects the shared ambition to lead in key areas of science and technological development,” said Mikael Lindström, Deputy President at KTH, said.

Ties between Sweden and France

There are important ties between Sweden and France, most recently reinforced through the renewed Strategic Innovation Partnership signed last year by Emmanuel Macron and Ulf Kristersson. IP Paris – which consists of six leading French engineering schools – and KTH are already partners in various research areas and offer joint master's programmes in the energy field. Researchers from IP Paris and KTH collaborate and have co-published a great number of scientific articles in recent years.

Mr Coulhon, the President of IP Paris, highlighted the global context and geopolitical challenges, as well as the importance of a close collaboration between the universities, and sees KTH as an attractive international partner.

“KTH is a role model for us as a well-established and international university. We also have a lot in common; we are both building world-class institutes of technology with strong ties to the industry, and we focus on the same important subjects, such as defense, security, energy, health and AI. Today's agreement deepens our cooperation and marks KTH as a key partner for us,” Thierry Coulhon said.

Extensive student mobility

KTH has extensive student mobility with French universities – France is one of the most common destinations for Swedish KTH students, and the third largest country for incoming students studying at KTH. Several French students also remain at KTH as doctoral students. Valentine Ricq, from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées within IP Paris, just started studying at KTH this semester. She attended the signing ceremony and is very positive about the cooperation and the possibility to study at KTH.

“A great advantage with KTH is that the university gives us an international perspective on the subjects we are studying. There is also a very wide range of courses available in English, which makes education accessible for international students. There are several international students on my programme and we have been very well received. It is great that there are so many exchange students here, enabling cultural exchange,” Valentine Ricq said.

Text: Tora Zeijlon ( toraz@kth.se )