Warwick consider expansion with new campus in Paris

The University of Warwick is currently considering expanding into France by the creation of a new campus in Paris.

The proposal from French officials entails the continuation of funding from the EU for academic purposes.

The Daily Mail reported that French officials approached British universities, naming Oxford and Warwick, with the prospect of building a new international campus in Paris in collaboration with Universite Paris Sienne, the association of ten Parisian universities.

Representatives from Universite Paris Sienne visited Warwick last week to discuss their plans for a new campus in the French capital. The plan seems to include the collaboration of various British universities and the construction could start as early as next year.

In this frame, certain courses are expected to be offered in the Paris campus or as joint degrees, with focus on research laboratories as well. It is not clear whether some courses are to be taught exclusively in France.

The operation of such a campus in Paris would mean that Warwick and all other involved universities would still be entitled to European Union (EU) funding for academic and research purposes even after the UK’s exit from the EU, since the campus is going to acquire French legal status.

There are currently plans for a California campus which will offer postgraduate courses from the next academic year onwards. Both undergraduate and postgraduate courses are planned to be offered in various fields within the next 10 years.

Jean-Michel Blanquer, Dean of a Parisian university and former director-general of the French ministry for education, stated: “Academic life is not totally dependent upon political problems.”