How France overcame the odds to build a research mega-campus

Nature News  October 27, 2020
A decade in the making, Paris-Saclay University, officially formed this year, is one of Europe’s biggest research universities. The behemoth merged 14 institutions. Planners envisioned fostering an innovation hub, similar to Silicon Valley in California. The focus is instead on promoting French higher education and research globally. Although some researchers are still settling into their environment, many say that Saclay seems to be on the right track to achieve its other goals. It hosts more than 300 labs and advanced research equipment, such as the SOLEIL synchrotron. About 100 companies and 6 of France’s public research organizations, including the national research agency CNRS, have a presence there…read more.