Inalco joins the European University Alliance EUniWell

EUniWell now includes 11 partners, committed to promoting well-being within their academic communities, as well as in higher education and society at large. With the addition of Inalco, it forms a network now comprising 330,000 students and almost 60,000 university staff.

Inalco stands out for the diversity of its teaching and research in languages and the social sciences
Rooted in the study and research of more than 100 languages, cultures and societies, it is the only public higher education and research institution in the world to offer such a wide range of skills in linguistic, areal and global studies, from undergraduate to doctoral level.

"As a linguist, I am particularly pleased to welcome Inalco to our alliance. With the arrival of the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, we are once again emphasizing that working in different European and global cultures, in different languages and across borders is essential for promoting well-being. As part of our collaboration, Inalco will make a decisive contribution to our goal of increasing individual and societal well-being, protecting the environment and developing EUniWell as the voice of well-being.", said Professor Beatrix Busse, EUniWell Development Manager.

The Institute defends a differentiated model of education and research
At Inalco languages are both tools for accessing people, data and knowledge, and inseparable elements in understanding cultures and the socio-political organization of societies. The school is driven by a commitment to the well-being of students and the planet through mutual understanding in a plural world, in line with EUniWell's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

By joining EUniWell, Inalco will strengthen its role as a leading European research university in the field of areal and global studies based on languages, by leading ambitious projects such as the implementation of a European Institute for Lesser-Used Languages, the development of a European doctoral program in areal studies or the establishment of multilingual observatories to foster comparative studies on contemporary social, political and strategic issues.

Professor Jean-François Huchet, President of Inalco, explains, "A systemic approach to well-being requires the ability to understand the underlying cultural component, whether at the individual, societal or global level. For example, in the fields of health, education, urbanization, the environment or global governance. We are also looking forward to contributing to the construction of a transversal axis on areal studies and increasing EUniWell's visibility among our extra-European partners."

A future-proof implementation of areal and global studies based on research on sources in original languages

With the accession of Inalco, EUniWell will reaffirm its commitment to these dimensions by taking charge of a new work program ("Work Package") on multilingualism and multiculturalism.

EUniWell will thus be able to develop an approach to areal and global studies that is future-proof and rooted in research on sources in Eastern languages. These developments will also support initiatives within the Institute to preserve areal expertise in a context where researchers' access to their fields of investigation is increasingly limited or hindered.

Inalco will also seek to Europeanize its long tradition of diplomatic training and engagement with institutional and civil society partners in the fields of international culture and solidarity.

The European University of Wellbeing

EUniWell is one of 44 current European University Alliances, funded by the European Commission with the aim of realizing a European education area in which learning, study and research across national borders are a matter of course.

EUniWell was launched in 2020 as part of the second pilot phase of the European University Initiative. The Alliance pursues a holistic, knowledge-based and action-oriented approach to well-being, in response to the Council of the European Union's call to member states to promote the "well-being economy", a virtuous cycle between society, the economy and the environment, leading to greater well-being in all these dimensions. Its definition of wellbeing dovetails with that of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

EUniWell's core mission is to understand, improve, measure and rebalance the wellbeing of individuals, our community and society as a whole based on our shared values - democratic, inclusive, diverse, research- and challenge-based, inter- and trans-disciplinary, entrepreneurial and co-creative.

As a new partner of the European University of Wellbeing, Inalco joins the universities of Birmingham, Cologne, Florence, Constance and Murcia, the University of Linnaeus, the University of Nantes, the University of Santiago de Compostela, Semmelweis University and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev.

Contact: euniwell@inalco.fr