Université Pierre et Marie Curie

Université Pierre et Marie Curie
Name	Université Pierre et Marie Curie
Established	1971
Closed	2017 (merged)
Type	Public
City	Paris
Country	France
Campus	Jussieu

Contents

Université Pierre et Marie Curie was a major French public research university based in Paris, known for strengths in physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and medicine. Founded in the wake of the May 1968 events in France and successor to components of the historic University of Paris, it developed extensive ties with national institutions such as the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, the Institut Pasteur, and the Collège de France. The university played a central role in European initiatives including the European Research Council, the Erasmus Programme, and collaborations with institutions like MIT, Imperial College London, and Max Planck Society.

History

Université Pierre et Marie Curie originated from reorganizations following the dissolution of the historic University of Paris after the Faure Law. Its creation in 1971 followed precedents set by faculties associated with the Sorbonne and the Faculté des sciences de Paris. Over ensuing decades it absorbed research units linked to the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale and fostered laboratories affiliated with the Observatoire de Paris and the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. The institution underwent major reforms during the reforms of the 1990s in France and expanded through partnerships with the Université Paris-Sud and the École Polytechnique. In 2017 it merged with Paris-Sorbonne University (2011–2018) to form a new entity aligned with the Conférence des Présidents d'Université and European frameworks such as the Bologna Process.

The principal site at Jussieu, located on Île-de-France holdings near the Seine, housed multi-disciplinary faculties and research centers alongside facilities from the Collège de France, the École normale supérieure (Paris), and the Institut Henri Poincaré. Laboratories included units associated with the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, the L2E (Laboratoire d'électrochimie et d'électrométallurgie), and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. Clinical and translational research leveraged connections to the Hôpital La Pitié-Salpêtrière, the Hôpital Necker–Enfants Malades, and the Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris. The campus hosted major collections and infrastructures such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Centre Pompidou proximity, and specialized facilities like cleanrooms and synchrotron access through collaborations with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

Academic organization grouped UFRs and faculties that aligned with historic units from the Faculté des sciences de Paris and merged institutes like the Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine. Departments covered the gamut from the legacy École de Physique et de Chimie industrielles de la Ville de Paris traditions to emerging programs influenced by the Human Genome Project and initiatives with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Research teams produced work cited alongside achievements of laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Fields Medal, and the CNRS Gold Medal, and sustained networks with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development research programs. Graduate and doctoral training responded to directives from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (France) and integrated international joint degrees with the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, California Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich.

Admission pathways reflected national competitive frameworks, including selection aligned with the Baccalauréat outcomes and postgraduate recruitment parallel to the Concours général and national fellowship competitions administered by the Agence nationale de la recherche. Student services leveraged partnerships with bodies like the Centre régional des œuvres universitaires et scolaires and cultural links to institutions such as the Opéra Garnier, the Musée du Louvre, and the Palais Garnier. Associations and student unions engaged with federations like the Confédération étudiante and hosted events connected to scientific societies including the Société française de physique, the Société chimique de France, and the Société de biologie.

Faculty and alumni included leaders from scientific and political spheres connected to entities such as the Académie des sciences, the Institut Curie, and the European Commission. Distinguished figures counted researchers associated with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureates, mathematicians cited among Fields Medal recipients, and clinicians linked to major hospitals like Hôpital Necker–Enfants Malades. Scholars maintained affiliations with global centers including the Royal Society, the National Academy of Sciences (United States), and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and produced alumni who later joined administrations such as the European Central Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and ministerial posts in the French Fifth Republic.