{"id":6973,"date":"2025-05-09T09:47:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T07:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/?p=6973"},"modified":"2025-07-24T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T13:10:24","slug":"a-tribune-pour-la-science-co-signed-by-the-directors-of-the-schools-and-the-director-general-of-the-itm-to-be-found-in-les-echos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/a-tribune-pour-la-science-co-signed-by-the-directors-of-the-schools-and-the-director-general-of-the-itm-to-be-found-in-les-echos\/","title":{"rendered":"An Op-Ed for Science \u2014 Co-signed by the Deans of IMT\u2019s Technological Universities and the Executive President of IMT, featured in Les \u00c9chos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

“If Europe fails to defend science, it will fail to defend its future”.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the United States targets certain scientific disciplines, 14 Deans of Technological Universities in engineering and management, together with the Executive President of IMT, speak out in support of their American peers and call for the defense of academic freedom.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Read the article on “Les Echos” website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facts are stark and unprecedented. The current U.S. administration has launched a direct assault on specific scientific themes: banning terms like \u201cclimate\u201d and \u201cwomen\u201d in research, deleting critical databases, and halting international scientific collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The removal of Kate Calvin, co-chair of IPCC Working Group I, during the panel\u2019s latest session is a chilling example. The world\u2019s leading scientific power is building a system of censorship. The implications are alarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, we \u2014 Deans of engineering and management Technological Universities \u2014 speak out in solidarity with our American colleagues. Silence would be a failure of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science is a public good. To remain silent is to retreat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is not just a scientific dispute. It\u2019s a threat to the foundational freedom to produce and share knowledge. It\u2019s a challenge to the very bedrock of our modern societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science is not a luxury. It\u2019s our vital link to reality and a key to addressing the defining challenges of our era: climate change, public health, technology, and sovereignty. Suppressing it means weakening our ability to respond, stifling innovation, and limiting future solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We call on the scientific community, academics, students, and all European citizens to recognize the gravity of this threat. Each retreat today is a setback for tomorrow. Europe cannot afford to stand by. It must act. It has a historic responsibility to lead with a firm, united, and strategic response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe must be a refuge for scientific freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At IMT and its Technological Universities, our deep commitment to strategic fields \u2014 from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to energy transition and digital health \u2014 embodies our dedication to open, responsible science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We train engineers and decision-makers equipped to address societal challenges and develop sustainable solutions. We invest in bold, industry-connected research that strengthens European strategic capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We affirm that Europe can \u2014 and must \u2014 be a haven for scientific freedom. We must welcome at-risk researchers, build academic bridges, and reinforce collaborations. We must create ecosystems that nurture and fund the talents others seek to silence. Scientific excellence is a pillar of sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s energy, digital, and ecological transformations cannot be addressed without substantial, sustained investment in science. This is not optional \u2014 it\u2019s a necessity. Every cut to research, every delay in training future engineers, every compromise on academic freedom endangers our future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world where cybersecurity, AI, energy, and digital sovereignty form new frontlines, investing in science means investing in the security and independence of our societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To defend science is to defend our future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is not abstract. Our Technological Universities are actively engaged in innovation, research, and entrepreneurship alongside industry and public institutions. We know what it takes to keep Europe competitive \u2014 and the cost of inaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe must invest in education, support researchers, protect academic freedom, and foster responsible innovation \u2014 starting now. Others are moving fast. So must we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We speak today with urgency and resolve: if Europe fails to defend science, it will fail to defend its future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We therefore call on public authorities, European institutions, businesses, and citizens to stand up. To defend scientific freedom with the same commitment we bring to our economic and security interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science is a battle of the present. It\u2019s time to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-signatories<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Anthony Briant (\u00c9cole Nationale des Ponts et Chauss\u00e9es),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Herbert Casteran (Institut Mines-T\u00e9l\u00e9com Business School),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Thierry Coulhon (IPParis),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Elisabeth Cr\u00e9p\u00f3n (ENSTA),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Arnaud Delam\u00e9zi\u00e8re (INSIC),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Fran\u00e7ois Dellacherie (T\u00e9l\u00e9com SudParis),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • C\u00e9cile Dubarry (Executive President, IMT),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Jacques Fayolle (Mines Saint-\u00c9tienne),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • David Gesbert (EURECOM),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Christophe Lerouge (IMT Atlantique),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Lionel Luquin (IMT Mines Albi),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Patrick Olivier (T\u00e9l\u00e9com Paris),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • C\u00e9line Fasulo (IMT Nord Europe),<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Assia Tria (IMT Mines Al\u00e8s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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