Sorbonne University launches its first fundraising campaign

Sorbonne University’s Foundation has launched its first fundraising campaign "Welcome to the Future”. Its goal is to reach 100 million euros by 2022. This is the largest university fundraising campaign ever conducted in continental Europe.

At an event organized in the historic Sorbonne on Wednesday 13 June, Thierry Breton, Chairman of the Strategic Committee, CEO of ATOS and a former government minister, called for a mobilization of corporate sponsors, private donors, alumni and partners to support Sorbonne University in meeting the scientific challenges of the 21st century.

The "Welcome to the Future" campaign will enable projects that have a concrete impact on the world, through five scientific priorities: environmental transition, the future of medicine, intercultural dialogue, smart cities and heritage transmission. The campaign also supports the creation of Sorbonne University, the first French university created on 1 January 2018 through the merger of the Paris-Sorbonne University and the Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC).

There are three types of support:

• Increasing the interdisciplinary academics and research through the financing of Chairs;
• Encouraging talent, including scholarships for students;
• Building a stimulating environment through the acquisition of state-of-the-art scientific equipment or the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

In addition, the government funding of Investing for the Future means that each euro collected is matched by the University, which doubles the impact of every donation.

To date, Sorbonne University has already collected 50 million euros and funded 44 projects.

To find out more about "Welcome to the Future" and to make a donation, visit: www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en

This release was first published 19 June 2018 by Sorbonne University.