News > 2024 > Renewal of partnership between HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal

Renewal of partnership between HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal

January 19, 2024

After renewing their respective affiliation agreements with Université de Montréal on January 1, 2024, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal established a new tripartite partnership agreement with the university institution. This was formalized during a signing ceremony which took place on January 8 in Université de Montréal’s Pavillon Roger-Gaudry.

“I am delighted with the outcomes of this agreement, the strengthening of our collaboration, the sharing of information and the consolidation of our links. Three institutions have united in their desire to be among the best universities in the world and to have a meaningful influence on society.” – Federico Pasin, Director of HEC Montréal

The partnership agreement consolidates the commitment of the three institutions to jointly engage more robustly in teaching, research, outreach, and shared services.

“The agreement we are formalizing is a vibrant reflection of the fraternal links that have united us for decades. Together, we have a long and wonderful history. We share a magnificent campus in the heart of a city whose name all three of us bear, and which helps define who we are. When we pool our strengths, we can move mountains for noble causes.” – Daniel Jutras, Rector of Université de Montréal

With regard to training and research, we will promote the implementation of unifying collaborative projects with a strong societal and structuring impact on research, collaboration among students on the mountain campus, and the creation of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses and programs. We also want to ensure complementary expertise with a view to broadening academic, economic, and social skills.

Maud Cohen, Daniel Jutras, Federico Pasin et Hélène Desmarais
From left to right: Maud Cohen, President of Polytechnique Montréal, Daniel Jutras, Rectof of Université de Montréal, Federico Pasin, Director of HEC Montréal and Hélène Desmarais, Chair of the HEC Montréal Board of Directors
Credits: Amélie Philibert, Université de Montréal

Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal, and Polytechnique Montréal also underline their wish to jointly develop a sustainable, integrated campus, and facilitate collaboration in administrative and institutional matters. As a sign of this collaboration, the three institutions agreed on a common brand image and named their group “Campus Montréal”. This brand was initially created for the most recent tripartite fundraising campaign and still enjoys some visibility.

Maud Cohen, President of Polytechnique Montréal, focused on the opportunities for interdisciplinarity and collaboration offered by the new agreement. “We believe in a global – holistic – approach that creates a dialogue between engineering and other fields, including the arts, economics, medical and social sciences,” she stated. “The ultimate goal is to create a conducive environment for transformative discoveries as well as innovative training programs. This bold approach aims to train the next generation of leaders with an in-depth understanding of contemporary issues and an ability to work in a multidisciplinary context.”

Hélène Desmarais, Chair of the HEC Montréal Board of Directors, wished to highlight the joint efforts leading to the signing of this agreement: “This signature confirms our renewed desire to continue our collaboration. I would like to sincerely thank the HEC Montréal Board of Directors for the time and effort they put in to arrive at this partnership agreement. My thanks also go to the boards of Université de Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal as well as to the teams of each institution for achieving this objective.”

It is worth repeating that HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal together form the largest university centre in Quebec and one of the most prestigious ones in Canada and in the French-speaking world. Year after year, this university centre remains among the world’s finest and among those most firmly committed to sustainable transition.