The delegation, composed of governance representatives from the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury, Lincoln University and the University of Otago, was welcomed by Guillaume Fiquet, Vice-President for International, Socio-Economic and Territorial Partnerships at Sorbonne University, and Marie-Aude Vitrani, Vice-President and Interim Administrator of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

The visit provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the French and New Zealand higher education and research systems, while identifying potential areas for collaboration across several strategic fields.

Highlights of the programme included presentations on Sorbonne University’s activities in artificial intelligence through the Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI), as well as an overview of the work carried out by the Ocean Institute on marine and environmental challenges.

The ASU-GHI was also featured during the visit. Agnès Mahot, Secretary General of the Institute, presented its mission, organisational structure and research priorities addressing major global health challenges. Discussions focused in particular on the Institute’s interdisciplinary approach to tackling contemporary health issues by bringing together biomedical sciences, social sciences and humanities, environmental sciences, and technological innovation.