The prestigious French university Sciences Po is reportedly considering opening a campus in Brussels, according to a preliminary report from the institution's Europe Committee seen by French media.
Upon becoming director of Sciences Po in 2024, Luis Vassy made his ambition to place Europe "at the heart" of the institution's mission clear. Now, this might be happening with a new campus in Brussels, according to a report first seen by Les Échos.
Despite the fact that plenty of Sciences Po alumni work at the EU institutions in Brussels, the 18-page report argued that the European capital is "paradoxically" missing its own elite academic institution.
Therefore, the preliminary report sets out three options: merging the European campuses in Dijon and Nancy into a single campus, creating a European specialisation at the Paris campus while retaining those in Nancy and Dijon, or creating a European specialisation at a campus in Brussels.
This final recommendation is reportedly based on the fact that it would make sense for a student of European affairs to be as close as possible to the centres of the EU's power.
European thinker prize
The memo states that the Brussels campus would be called 'Maison de l’Europe de Sciences Po, Paris-Bruxelles', and could specialise in EU-level research and training the next generation of Eurocrats, Politico reports.
Additionally, the report is said to also contain other recommendations to promote Sciences Po's EU-level standing, such as launching a "European thinker prize".
The report was drawn up by Sciences Po's Europe Committee, which comprises 40 leading figures and is co-chaired by former Secretary of State for European Affairs Laurence Boone and Professor Emeritus at Sciences Po Marc Lazar.
