Her Excellency, the Ambassador of France, Ms. Salina Grenet-Catalano, visited the University of Nicosia, on Tuesday, 8 February 2022, following an invitation by the Rector of the University, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas.
During the meeting, Ms. Grenet-Catalano and Rector Pouyioutas discussed the respective education systems of the two countries and had the opportunity to explore possible areas for collaboration in the field of Higher Education, together with the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Panayiotis Angelides, the Vice Rector for Faculty and Research, Professor Demetris Vrontis, and the Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action of the French Embassy, Mr. Emmanuel Mouriez.
Rector Pouyioutas presented the Ambassador with information regarding the number of French students studying at the University of Nicosia, the programmes they are enrolled in, and the French language courses the University offers, as well as information regarding Erasmus+ collaborations with French universities. On her part, Ambassador Grenet-Catalano spoke about the French system of Higher Education, referencing the provision of English-language programmes by French Universities.
Focusing on the high-quality education offered by the University of Nicosia, Rector Pouyioutas highlighted the University's distinctions in the major university rankings and especially its achievement in being ranked among the top 601-800 universities in the world, according to the 2022 edition of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Referring to the internationalization initiatives and the broader strategy of the European Union vis-à-vis Higher Education, Professor Pouyioutas cited the inspirational speech by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, on 29 September 2017 at the Sorbonne University, in which he shared his vision for the creation of European University Alliances. This has since been adopted by the European Commission, funding forty-one (41) such Alliances in 2019 and 2020. The Rector briefed the Ambassador on the inclusion of the University of Nicosia in the newly established NEOLAiA Alliance, which includes eight other top European universities, including University of Tours, France.
In closing, Rector Pouyioutas thanked the Ambassador for accepting his invitation, underscoring that the University of Nicosia is always at the disposal of the Embassy to assist and support the Embassy and the students from France.
