UNamur active in the Relief network: new collaborations planned

In late October, Rector Annick Castiaux, accompanied by Vice-Rector for International Relations and Cooperation Stéphane Leyens, visited Université Savoie Mont Blanc. The aim: to identify opportunities for bilateral collaboration between the two institutions.

Professors Denis Saint-Amand (Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, President of the Namur Institute of Language and Transmediality) and Johan Yans (Director of the Department of Geology and President of the Institute of Life,Earth and Environment) were also part of the UNamur delegation. Université Savoie Mont Blanc was represented by its President, Philippe Briand, as well as Mareva Sabatier (Vice-President of the Board of Directors, in charge of personnel), Pascal Hot (Vice-President in charge of research) and Emilie Viret-Thasiniphone (Director of International Relations).

Meetings were held with representatives from various institutes and laboratories: mathematics, physics, earth science and geology, business administration, literature. Opportunities for collaboration in these fields were discussed.

The RELIEF Network (Réseau d'Échanges et de Liaisons entre Institutions d'Enseignement Supérieur Francophones) brings together four universities: the UNamur, the Université Savoie Mont Blanc, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) as well as the Haute École Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale (HES-SO).

Created in 2015, the RELIEF network aims to:

• Foster exchanges and interactions between partner institutions;
• Develop high-quality joint projects on an international scale, particularly in the French-speaking world, for students and teacher-researchers;
• Strengthen the visibility and impact of initiatives carried out by the network and its members.

Invited to join RELIEF in 2025, UNamur looks forward to this integration.