MONTPELLIER UNIVERSITY

Montpellier University has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the UNIVERSITAS category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the aeternitas and the future of Europe.

	FOUNDATION
Year	1220 A.D.
City	Montpellier
Founder	monk Conrad of Urach
Where	Regna Aragona
Originary subjects	law , literature , medicine , theology

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	NOWADAYS
State	France
Name	University of Montpellier (Université de Montpellier)
Seates	Montpellier
Degree programs	Agriculture , Environment , Biodiversity , Biology-Health , Chemistry , Mathematics , Informatics , Physics , Systems , Social sciences
Library	YES internal
Collegium	8 in Agriculture, Political sciences, Economics and management , Education , Technology courses , Engineering , Health , Sciences
Alumni	NO
Famous teachers	Conrad of Urach , Placentin of Bologna , Jean-Antoine Chaptal , François Rabelais , Guillaume Rondelet , Pierre Richer de Belleval , Jean Astruc , Antoine Gouan , Alexander Grothendieck
Famous scholars	Francesco Petrarca , Nostradamus , Andreas Vesalius , Auguste Comte , Enver Hoxha , Albert Zafy , Shi Zhengli
Awards	2 Fields Medal winners

Montpellier University is among the oldest of Europe and a rinomate scientific and university town since the Middle Ages: heir to the Faculty of Medicine founded in 1220 A.D., over the centuries it has left its mark on the city and today the Université de Montpellier preserves a prestigious historical heritage in terms of both real estate and furnishings, as well as scientific, artistic and documentary collections of inestimable value. Over the years, it has constantly enriched its collections, many of which are listed as historic monuments.

Montpellier's origins date back to around 980 A.D., since it was a meeting place for Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures. Its university vocation was affirmed in the medical field with the authorization already in 1180 A.D. to practice and teach medicine, but the teaching of medicine was recognized by the Roman Church only a century later making Montpellier the oldest practicing medical school in the Western world. At the same time, jurists began to gather in Montpellier around renowned professors such as Placentin of Bologna: then at the end of the XIII century A.D., Montpellier University was officially created by Pope Nicholas IV's bull 'Quia sapientia' bearing the name Studium generale, at the time the only university in France to offer courses in medicine, law, literature and theology, created by and for its teachers and students, enjoying a high degree of autonomy in its operations.

In the 16th century, Montpellier University became a leading intellectual center, asserting its position as an European crossroads for law and medicine and attracted many scholars and scientists who shared Humanism values, including François Rabelais, Guillaume Rondelet and Pierre Richer de Belleval. As soon as other universities spranged up in France, competing with Montpellier University, it kept up with its rivals granting a number of original specialties: anatomy, botany, biology, etc. Closely related to medicine, the study of medicinal plants became increasingly widespread in Montpellier with the creation of the Jardin des Plantes in 1593 A.D., so that the city was considered the capital of botany for long time.

Like all French universities, Montpellier University was abolished during the French Revolution. This did not prevent medical professors from teaching in semi-clandestinity, but the need for structured teaching became apparent in December 1794 A.D. when the Convention then founded three Écoles de Santé, in Paris, Strasbourg and Montpellier: at this time the School of Medicine moved into the premises of the former bishop's palace, where it still stands today. In 1803 a.D., the School of Pharmacy completed Montpellier Universit's scientific education, while the Faculty of Law was forgotten and not recovered until 1878 A.D.. Montpellier University's scientific landscape changed in the early XIX century with the creation of the Faculté des Sciences: at the time, it was endowed with 7 magisterial chairs (transcendental mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, zoology, botany and mineralogy), while at the end of the century all the city's faculties were unificated into a single university, housed in the University Palace, now the Rector's Office.

Montpellier University's establishments continued to develop throughout the 20th century, joining in the scientific explosion that marked the period, weaving a dense network of teaching and research structures. The Faure Law of 1968 A.D. gave rise to 3 new universities: University of Montpellier 1, University of Montpellier 2 and Montpellier 3 Paul Valéry University. All the faculties (law, literature, medicine, science, pharmacy) cease to exist and become either UERs (then UFRs) for medicine, law and pharmacy (UM1) or full-fledged universities for literature (UM3) and science (UM2). A new page in the shared history of the Universities of Montpellier 1 and Montpellier 2 opened with the launch of the merger process in September 2012 A.D.: in their quest for national and international recognition, the two universities combined their complementary strengths to create the actual Montpellier University with 17 teaching departments, 73 research units and over 48,000 students.

Today Montpellier University offers 5 Research Centers: Agriculture, Environment, Biodiversity (AEB); Biology-Health (BS); Chemistry; Mathematics, Informatics, Physics, Systems (MIPS) and Social sciences (SOC). It also owns intermediary structures created to organize and coordinate research activities within the institution that play a key role in structuring research, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, international visibility and adaptation to societal challenges. More over, it manages 8 Collegiums that are pedagogical coordination structures grouping together different UFRs, Schools and Institutes around a specific disciplinary field, to reinforce the cross-disciplinary nature of training and research, plus 9 doctoral schools: Law and Political Sciences (DSP); Montpellier Economics&Management (EDEG); Information structures systems (I2S); Languages, Literatures, Cultures, Civilizations (LLCC); Sciences chimiques Balard (SCB); Chemical and biological sciences for health (CBS2); Human Movement Sciences (SMH); Biodiversity, Agriculture, Food, Environment, Land, Water (GAIA); Territories, Time, Societies and Development (TTSD).

The impetus provided by the creation of the Graduate School has led to the creation of the IDIL program, supported by the ANR as part of the SFRI project (Structuration de la Formation par la Research dans les initiatives d'excellence): IDIL is a program that complements the training offered at the Université de Montpellier by offering immersive, interdisciplinary courses, aiming to transform the educational experience of Master's and Montepellier PhD students by offering an interdisciplinary, international, research-focused curriculum. It is aimed at French and international students wishing to train in an environment of scientific excellence, directly linked to the major societal challenges to which Montpellier University is committed: feeding, caring, protecting.

Montpellier University has a long tradition of international openness, reflected in its numerous academic partnerships, mobility programs and scientific collaborations. First and foremost at European level, the establishment has an active exchange policy as part of the Erasmus+ program. Students are welcommen from most European countries and the number of incoming and outgoing international has been rising steadily in recent years, so that the University of Montpellier is also developing double degrees that enable students to broaden their professional opportunities. Thanks to its numerous cooperation agreements, the UM also welcomes lecturers and administrative staff from all over the world, in strategic partnership with the University of Barcelona, the University of Sherbrooke and the University of Heidelberg. International agreements can be drawn up within the framework of the ERASMUS+ program, the European Erasmus Mundus programs, the Bureau de la Coopération Internationale (BCI Québec) or as part of inter-university cooperation programs run by our university. All these agreements and programs support UM's international strategy by promoting student and staff mobility, and providing a favorable framework for academic and scientific cooperation. The University of Montpellier is member of the Coimbra Group, AUF, EUA, E-OMED (mediterranean) and Unimed. It is also a founding member of the European University alliance CHARM-EU.

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Near Montpellier have been founded other two ancient universitas: l'Université de Avignon and l'Université Perpignan Via Domitia.

The Avignon University (Avignon Université; formerly known as Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse) is a public university situated on 2 campuses: the Hannah Arendt Campus, located in the city centre of Avignon, and the Jean-Henri Fabre Campus, which is on the outskirts of town and includes the Agroparc facility for STEM teaching and research, as well as the Avignon University Institute of Technology. The university is well regarded for its international education outreach, and was awarded with the ERASMUS University Charter for Higher Education by the European Commission in 2021 A.D.. This university was founded in 1303 A.D. by Pope Boniface VIII, then closed during the French Revolution then re-opened as Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse in 1984 A.D. following the establishment of an annexation of the Faculté des Sciences d'Aix-Marseille in Avignon, then it was renamed Avignon Université in 2018 A.D.. The Hannah Arendt Campus is located in the heart of Avignon: it includes several historic buildings (including the former Sainte-Marthe Hospital) principally used for arts, humanities, and law courses, the University administration, the Maurice Agulhon university library and a fitness center.

For more than 670 years the Université de Perpignan Via Domitia has been a flagship for knowledge, research and ideas, both locally and internationally: its founding principle and what continues to characterise it today is a multi-disciplinary approach, in a higher education and research institution, as a major stakeholder in the development and competitiveness of the local area, particularly in the Occitanie region. Located at the heart of the Toulouse-Montpellier-Barcelona triangle, that strategic position and strong identity make a principal contributor in cross-border relations: proud of its specialisations, both in terms of education and research, which respond to the needs of society and the expectations of the socio-economic partners, as well as consolidating our reputation on a national and international scale. In 1350 A.D. Peter 'said the Ceremonious' King of Aragon founded the Université de Perpignan, provided a comprehensive education in theology and the arts, along with canon and civil law. Then in 1745 A.D. the Comte de Mailly funded the construction of a new University building and a garden along with physics, anatomy and natural history departments were created. The Université de Perpignan held Law, medicine, philosophy and theology courses until 1793 A.D., when the Convention, part of sweeping reforms under the French Revolution, abolished all the country universities. It was not until 1957 A.D. that higher education once again found its place in Perpignan while in 2017 A.D. the new campus, built on the original location in the heart of the city, would be given the name of its very first patron: Campus Mailly.

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