THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT OF UTTOP
While UTTOP draws its strengths from territorial issues and assets, the 4th university of technology in France also aims to expand its horizons internationally.
Its strategy revolves around two major axes: the internationalization of the training offer and the attractiveness of research, benefiting the entire educational community.
Axis 1: Internationalization of the training offer
International mobility is already mandatory for engineering schools and will likely be so at the Bachelor's level in the future.
UTTOP's ambition is to consolidate human and technical resources to enhance the internationalization of existing programs within its internal components (IUT and ENIT). The objective is to host 300 foreign students annually on campus within 5 years, committing to offering new attractive and innovative courses.
To achieve this, certain means have already been identified:
- Pooling partnership agreements signed with foreign universities and developing new agreements with Universities of Technology in Europe.
- Strengthening the offering of courses in English and French as a Foreign Language (FLE).
- Highlighting international mobility for all staff members of the institution.
- Expanding the Welcome Desk service to all international audiences (label "Welcome to France" 2020-2024).
Axis 2: Attractive research for foreign researchers and internationally oriented
Research in Tarbes was initially based on a partnership logic with industry, particularly with certain French industry leaders. Today, without forsaking these historical advantages, it increasingly integrates into the international academic landscape, notably within European framework programs.
For instance, site faculty members regularly participate in the European Horizon framework programs (H2020), interregional programs (INTERREG SUDOE - Southwestern Europe, and POCTEFA - Operational Program for Cross-border Cooperation Spain France Andorra). They are associated with 18 European partners within the EPS network and have established various international partnerships outside Europe, in America and Africa (ADESFA program, Erasmus Plus).
Training through research is also a lever for internationalization. In this context, UTTOP's ambition is to:
- Establish a University Research School / Graduate School integrated within one or more laboratories, aiming to have a training model (master's/doctorate).
- Develop research-oriented double-degree programs to encourage students to pursue doctoral studies within the institution.