Grenoble Alpes University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Université Grenoble Alpes

Latin: Universitas Gratianopolitana
Former name	University of Grenoble (1339–1970), UPMF & UJF & Stendhal (1971–2015)
Motto	Veritas Liberabit
Motto in English	Truth shall set you free
Type	Public
Established	1339; 686 years ago (1339)
Founder	Humbert II of Viennois
Budget	€450 million
President	under provisional administration
Academic staff	3,000
Administrative staff	2,500
Students	60,000 (2020)
Location	Cities of Grenoble, Saint-Martin-d'Hères & Gières , in France
Campus	Urban/College town 432 acres (175 ha)
Affiliations	Aurora, EUA, AUF, SGroup

The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), also known as "Grenoble Alps University," is a big public university in Grenoble, France. It's a special kind of university in France called a grand établissement, which means it's highly respected for its research and teaching.

This university was started way back in 1339. Today, it's the third largest university in France. About 60,000 students study there, and over 3,000 researchers work on new discoveries.

The University of Grenoble first opened in 1339. It later split into several smaller universities in 1970 after some student protests. But in 2016, three of these universities joined back together to form the Université Grenoble Alpes again. In 2020, even more schools, like the Grenoble Institute of Technology, joined the university family.

UGA has two main campuses in the city: Domaine Universitaire and Campus GIANT. It also has other locations in cities like Valence and Chambéry. Grenoble is a major science hub in Europe, which helps UGA work closely with many research groups, like the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The city of Grenoble is the second largest research center in France, after Paris. In 2019, UGA was chosen to host one of France's main centers for artificial intelligence.

History of the University

Early Years (1339–1800)

Founder Humbert II of Viennois

The university's first official seal

The University of Grenoble was founded on May 12, 1339. It was started by Humbert II of Viennois, who was the ruler of a region called Dauphiné. He wanted the university to teach law, medicine, and liberal arts, which included subjects like grammar and logic. It was known for helping bring back classic studies during the Renaissance.

Humbert was inspired by his granduncle, King Robert of Naples. King Robert was known for being wise and supporting arts and learning. He was friends with famous people like Petrarch and Boccaccio.

Humbert wanted to create a similar place of learning in his own state. So, he got special permission from the Pope to open the university.

The University Palace, now IUT Grenoble 1

Humbert really cared about his students. He offered them help, protection, and even free housing for 100 students. However, the university faced tough times due to Humbert's financial problems, the Black Death plague, and Dauphiné joining France. This caused the university to close for a while.

It was reopened in 1475 in Valence by Louis XI of France. The original university in Grenoble was brought back in 1542. Finally, the two universities joined together in 1565. At that time, Grenoble was an important place for law, so law studies were a big part of the university.

During the French Revolution, many universities in France were closed. Revolutionaries saw universities as old-fashioned and took their land, just like they did with church property.

Modern Era (1800–1968)

Changing university logos

University of Grenoble (1339-1970)

Grenoble I (1970-2015)

Grenoble II (1970-2015)

Grenoble III (1970-2015)

University Grenoble Alpes (2016-2019)

University Grenoble Alpes (since 2020)

Between 1805 and 1808, Napoleon brought back parts of the university, including law, literature, and science. Even though some parts were temporarily closed again, the university started to grow quickly by the 1850s.

Science studies at the university really took off in the 1880s. This was because Grenoble became a major center for making industrial motors and electrical equipment. In 1879, the university was officially opened in a new building. By 1930, there were about 3,000 students. In the 1960s, many more students joined, which led to new buildings and facilities, especially for science and medicine.

Recent History (1968–Present)

After student protests in France in May 1968, many French universities were divided into smaller, specialized schools. The University of Grenoble was split into four separate institutions between 1968 and 1971:

• Grenoble 1: Focused on science and medicine.
• Grenoble 2: Focused on social sciences.
• Grenoble 3: Focused on languages and literature.
• Grenoble Institute of Technology: Focused on engineering.

Part of the former Pierre Mendès-France University facilities

Starting in 2013, there was a move to bring the universities in Grenoble back together. Three of the original parts—Joseph Fourier University, Pierre Mendès-France University, and Stendhal University—merged on January 1, 2016. They became the Université Grenoble Alpes.

Then, on January 1, 2020, even more schools joined. The Grenoble Institute of Technology, the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies, and the Grenoble School of Architecture all became part of the University Grenoble Alpes.

In November 2023, the French government gave the university the special status of grand établissement. This means it's recognized as a top-tier institution.

University Campuses

UGA's main buildings are in the Grenoble area. The biggest campuses are Domaine Universitaire, GIANT campus, and the La Tronche medical campus. But the university also has buildings in other places, like the Valence campus and many research labs.

Domaine Universitaire (Grenoble)

Domaine Universitaire

The Domaine Universitaire is the main campus of UGA. It covers a huge area of 175 hectares (about 432 acres). This campus is like its own small town within the Grenoble area. It has most of the university's classrooms and many research labs.

What's special about Domaine Universitaire is that it's a dedicated area just for academics and student life. This is different from many French universities, where buildings are spread out across a city. This design was an experiment in the 1960s to handle the fast-growing number of students. Because of this, it's sometimes called an "American campus."

The campus is beautiful, with 3,000 trees, including a special garden with over 250 different types of trees and shrubs from all over the world. It's surrounded by the Isère river and close to three mountain ranges. Students love the quality of life here. The university is even ranked among the most beautiful campuses in France and Europe. It's easy to get around the campus and the city using trams, buses, and bike paths. Grenoble is known as one of the best student cities in France.

The La Tronche campus is very close to Domaine Universitaire. It focuses on medical studies and is home to the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital.

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  Joseph Fourier Library

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  Maison des Langues

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  Stendhal Building

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  Louis Weil Amphitheatre

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  Sciences Po Grenoble

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  Pierre Mendes France Building

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  Grenoble Law School

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  Grenoble IAE

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  IMAG Building

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  Grenoble INP buildings

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  Stendhal Building

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  Faculty of Economics of Grenoble

Campus GIANT (Grenoble)

Campus GIANT

Campus GIANT stands for "Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies." It's a campus where many different organizations work together. It's located on a piece of land between two rivers, the Isère and the Drac. This area is called the Polygone Scientifique. The GIANT Campus is home to parts of UGA (especially the engineering schools) and the Grenoble School of Management.

Big government research groups like CNRS and CEA also have facilities here. The campus also hosts Minatec, a center for tiny technologies, and large European research tools like the European Synchrotron. Many big companies, like Siemens and Schneider Electric, have offices on this campus too.

Unlike the Domaine Universitaire, which has many different subjects, GIANT Campus focuses a lot on science, engineering, and working with industries.

Valence Campus

The Valence campus is about 90 km (56 miles) from Grenoble. Over 4,000 students study here in different programs. This campus continues the history of the University of Valence, which was founded in 1452 but closed during the French Revolution.

Other Locations

The university also has facilities in other places:

• An alpine botanical garden called Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret is located in the mountains. It covers 2 hectares (about 5 acres).
• A department for managing companies is run in Vienne.
• A center for agricultural research is located in Ardèche.

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  IUT Grenoble 1 (Grenoble)

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  Grenoble INP (Grenoble)

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  IUGA (Grenoble)

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  Alpine botanical garden

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  Grenoble Alpes University Hospital

How the University is Managed

The Université Grenoble Alpes is a public institution. It is managed by a board of directors and an academic council. These groups are elected every four years. The president of the university is chosen by the board of directors.

In 2016, Lise Dumasy was elected as the first woman president of the newly merged university.

The university used to be part of a larger group called the Community Université Grenoble Alpes. This group helped different parts of the university system work together.

On January 1, 2020, this larger group merged directly with the university. This also included the Grenoble Institute of Technology, the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies, and the Grenoble School of Architecture. This merger was part of a plan by the French government to create leading national universities. Yassine Lakhnech became the president of the newly merged university.

Academics and Studies

Central avenue on the main campus in Saint-Martin-d'Hères (autumn 2016).

Grenoble University Hospital Center (CHU)

Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience (GIN)

The Université Grenoble Alpes has many different departments, schools, and institutes where students can study.

Research at UGA

Minatec complex

The Université Grenoble Alpes has 106 research departments. These departments are grouped into six main centers, covering all kinds of subjects.

Many research labs are connected to the university. Through its engineering schools (Grenoble INP), the university helped create Minatec. This is a big international center for micro-nano technologies, where over 3,000 researchers and 1,200 students work.

The university also hosts one of France's four national Institutes of Artificial Intelligence. Students who want to get a PhD (a very high-level degree) are supported by the Doctoral College, which sets the rules for the university's 13 doctoral schools.

Famous People from UGA

Many notable people have studied at the Université Grenoble Alpes. They come from various fields, including politics, science, and the arts.

Politics and Public Service

Many important politicians and public figures from Europe and around the world have studied at UGA. They learned about law, economics, and languages.

Some of these leaders include: Reinhold Maier, Helene Weber, Walther Schreiber, Michel Destot, Louis Besson, Bernard Accoyer, Marlène Schiappa, Thierry Repentin, André Vallini and Geoffrey Acland.

Other famous political leaders who attended UGA are: Gaétan Barrette, a Minister from Canada; Paul Kaba Thieba, a Prime Minister from Burkina Faso; Hazem El Beblawi, a Prime Minister from Egypt; Abdoulaye Wade, a President from Senegal; and Bill Morneau, a Canadian Minister of Finance.

UGA alumni also include journalists like Warren D. Leary and Mélissa Theuriau. Some social activists, like Léo-Paul Lauzon and Léa Roback, also studied here.

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  Richard von Weizsäcker, President of Germany

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  Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland

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  Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady of the United States

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  Masako Owada, Empress of Japan

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  Olivier Véran, French politician, Minister of Health

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  Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal

Mathematics and Sciences

Many brilliant scientists have studied at the Université Grenoble Alpes, especially since the 1880s when hydropower became important in the region. They have made big contributions in physics, materials science, and computer science.

Some famous scientists include: Yves Bréchet, a member of the French Academy of Sciences; Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli, who worked on the discovery of the Higgs Boson; Joseph Sifakis, a winner of the Turing Award (a top prize in computer science); and Gérard Mourou, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Other notable scientists are: Jean-Jacques Favier, an astronaut; Charles Elachi, a director at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Alim Louis Benabid, a neurosurgeon; and Aurélien Barrau, a physicist and philosopher.

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  Gérard Mourou, Physicist & 2018 Nobel laureate

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  Jean-Jacques Favier, CNES Astronaut

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  Charles Elachi, Director of the JPL

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  Joseph Sifakis, Computer scientist, Turing recipient

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  Alim Louis Benabid, Neurosurgeon

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  Aurélien Barrau, physicist and philosopher

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Grenoble para niños