Brexit’s Impact on Universities

An interview with Serge Fdida, Vice President of International Development at Sorbonne University, and Minh-Hà Pham, Counselor for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in London. Formally enacted on February 1, 2020, the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union has had a direct impact on French universities. Student mobility and scientific cooperation are at the heart of discussions provoked by the event. Serge Fdida, Vice President of International Development at Sorbonne University, and Minh-Hà Pham, Counselor for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in London, shed light on the consequences of Brexit for both the French and British academic world. What does Brexit change for members of the French academic community who wish to move to the UK? Minh-Hà Pham: Following Brexit, the United Kingdom has chosen to leave the Erasmus program, which allows students to spend part of their studies in a partner European university. Though the British were welcoming 10,000 French students each year, they chose to extend their Turing mobility scheme. Initially focused on Asia, this program finances, to the tune of 110 million pounds, the travel of British students all over the world, but it does not provide for reciprocity.