RMIT and ENS Paris-Saclay forge new partnership to advance research and innovation

RMIT and ENS Paris-Saclay forge new partnership to advance research and innovation

RMIT University has formalised a new partnership with ENS Paris-Saclay, creating new opportunities for collaborative research, doctoral training and academic mobility between Australia and France.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the Australian Embassy in Paris, builds on an established relationship between the two institutions and reflects a shared commitment to advancing research and innovation in areas including design, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Representatives from both institutions were joined by Australian Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Lynette Wood, for the signing ceremony, which brought together university leaders, researchers and innovation specialists from Australia and France.

The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration across research, innovation partnerships, doctoral education, and student and staff mobility. 

It is expected to support the development of joint research projects, cotutelle PhD arrangements and new opportunities for researchers to work across both institutions.

RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alec Cameron, said that the partnership builds on RMIT’s long-standing commitment to France and Europe.

“We believe that lasting research impact comes from investing in people, networks and institutional relationships as much as individual projects,” said Cameron.  

“Together with ENS Paris-Saclay, we see significant opportunities to combine our strengths in areas such as design and artificial intelligence, particularly at the intersection of these disciplines.”

14 October 2026

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ENS-Paris Saclay signing (L-R) Victoria's Commissioner to Europe, Middle East, Türkiye and Africa, Gönül Serbest; RMIT Vice-President Engagement, Michelle King; RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alec Cameron; Australian Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Lynette Wood; ENS Paris-Saclay President, Professor Nathalie Carrasco; RMIT Europe CEO, Dr Marta Fernandez; RMIT Europe Research Director, Design, Culture and Creative Practices, Associate Professor James Auger.

A key driver of the partnership is the appointment of Associate Professor James Auger as Research Director, Design, Culture and Creative Practices at RMIT Europe.

An internationally recognised leader in speculative and critical design, Auger joins RMIT Europe following his tenure as Director of the Design Department at ENS Paris-Saclay and Co-Director of the Centre de Recherche en Design.

The partnership will enable Auger to maintain active research collaborations with ENS Paris-Saclay while helping to expand RMIT's research and industry engagement activities across Europe.

It also provides RMIT with an ongoing research base at ENS Paris-Saclay, supporting future collaborative initiatives between the two organisations.

ENS Paris-Saclay President, Professor Nathalie Carrasco, said that the MoU represents the formalisation of a long-standing relationship. 

"Many agreements are signed between institutions that barely know each other, in the hope that a relationship will follow - today, it is the opposite," she said. 

"We are giving a formal framework, and conditions for future development, to a relationship that already exists, built over years of shared work."

Auger said that the collaboration creates a framework for researchers and students to work together in new ways.

“At the heart of this partnership is design research and the opportunity to explore questions that sit across disciplines; I look forward to seeing the ideas and projects that emerge,” he said.

The partnership reinforces both institutions' commitment to advancing international research collaboration and supporting the next generation of researchers through shared expertise, mobility and innovation.

 

Story: Corrina Langelaan

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14 October 2026

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