Commitment to society

Université Côte d'Azur seeks to have a positive impact on society and to participate in societal transformation. Its numerous actions in the region with local authorities and companies are evidence of this. Université Côte d'Azur goes beyond its walls to interact directly with individuals, forging a link so that everyone can feel connected with the university throughout the region.

This program aims to encourage interactions between art and science and, as such, all the arts and sciences are involved. By combining artistic creation with the development of new tools and technologies, certain projects can progressively evolve or lead to innovation, thereby preparing them to apply for new or complementary calls for proposals. It is thus possible to boost particular projects, which could also result in public events for outreach and dissemination of results.
Web page of the program.

Living natures: science seen by the artist.
Between the artist Irene Kopelman, hosted within the framework of a chair of excellence of the UCA^JEDI IDEX, and the scientists of the Institut de la Mer of Villefranche and IRCAN (Institute for research on cancer and ageing at Université Côte d'Azur), a project is being built that highlights capital organizations in the chain of life and evolution, shedding precious light on this marine world, a true mirror of ecological issues and current health.
See this article in Swith on paper.

Université Côte d'Azur, the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Council and the Rectorate of the Académie de Nice are committed to a lasting partnership for joint actions aimed at the educational success of promising students of the Académie de Nice. The promotion of equal opportunities has presided over the deployment of the UCA^JEDI Junior initiative aimed at students from the colleges located in the regions's priority education network. UCA^JEDI made it possible to carry out a pilot experiment to promote paths to success in higher education, which initially involved two colleges in the Académie's Priority Education Network and one college from the greater area of Nice. The objective of this program is to identify promising young college students by having them participate in cultural, scientific and personal skills workshops to help them consider the many possibilities for a path to higher education. UCA^JEDI Junior takes place on campus during school holidays to help familiarize these young people with the university. This action is intended to grow with the inclusion of a network of sponsors to advise and then support these young people in their search for internships, in particular by helping them build their networks.

In three years, we have gone from a system of around ten annual philosophical workshops led by students from the philosophy department for school students from the Academy to a university training program of excellence. This transition has been unprecedented in France, leading to an academic and career-orientated response to the social demand for philosophy. The Pro-Philia university diploma will be offered at the beginning of the next academic year, in partnership with the publishing house Les Petits Platons, and the "Guide de l'atelier philosophique" will be published by the same publishing house in digital format this autumn and in paper format this winter. All this would never have been possible without the organizational and financial support of UCA^JEDI, which notably allowed the employment of a doctoral student to carry out the work necessary for this action.

EDUMED-Obs implements an educational interface, based on geoscientific research data related to the Mediterranean basin. It targets two groups of the public: - The general public and awareness of natural risks. - High school and undergraduate students, for training in the use of sensor data in secondary and higher education. EDUMED-Obs includes several modules:

• A 'Data Center' for access to online data, which come from various sensors (seismology, geodesy, hydrogeology, meteorology, etc.).
• A 'Tools Lab' where innovative digital tools are made available for data analysis. These tools make it easier to carry out experiments and to become familiar with developments in the digital world (serious games, augmented reality, simulations, etc.).
• A 'Teachers Room' where teachers can obtain scientific and pedagogical documentation to enable the use of data in an educational context. Teaching worksheets with case studies are available.

This project, set up within the framework of Université Côte d'Azur's UCA^JEDI, is piloted by the education unit of the Geoazur laboratory in Sophia Antipolis. Numerous partners are collaborating, through their sensor networks and expertise, in the creation of this educational system.

UCA^JEDI has fostered the emergence of a Collegium of Art and Design Schools, which now exists as a singular structure and is an asset to Université Côte d'Azur. The collegium initially brought together 6 schools when it was established, but the attractiveness of the UCA^JEDI initiative has convinced 2 new schools to join the consortium, thus reinforcing Université Côte d'Azur's dedicated strategy on this theme.

UCA^JEDI has enabled the launch of the Engagement Center, a one-of-a-kind initiative in France, which aims to promote and facilitate the involvement of students in the accomplishment of volunteer activities that are in addition to their studies and consistent with the values promoted by UCA. From 2018 to 2020, more than 1,200 students have been involved in nearly 100 initiatives of general interest, with a satisfaction rate of 95% and an expressed desire to go further in this dynamic of commitment. (via a Commitment Bonus of 0.25 points for 20 hours of commitment) 30,000 students have participated in social engagement and 10,000 students in corporate engagement.