ACT: from concept to impact – the University of Bordeaux’s strategic transformation

Launched in 2020 as part of the Investments for the Future Programme, ACT – which stands for Augmented university for Campus and world Transition – did not immediately present itself as an obvious operational initiative. “The initial project was highly conceptual, with wording that was at times abstract,” recalls Philippe Moretto, then Vice-President (VP) for research. There was no talk yet of specific projects or initiatives, but rather of a more fundamental reflection: “What is a university? What values do we wish to uphold? On which major issues should we take a stand?” In an academic landscape still largely unstructured around the challenges of environmental and societal transitions, the University of Bordeaux took a gamble: that of anticipating the future. “At the time, in fact, we talked less about transitions than about sustainable development”, explains Philippe Moretto, before emphasising: “The University of Bordeaux was among the first to be awarded an IdEx grant. As such, we were one of the universities considered by the Ministry to be a suitable testing ground.”

From ambitions to initial experiments

For Antoine Simon, Director of the Institute of Transitions, the early years were devoted to translating these ambitions into action. “All the work in 2021 and 2022 involved laying the groundwork for the project with very concrete areas of focus: defining priorities, structuring programmes, identifying project leaders, and devising ways of collaborating.” A few years on, the Living Labs are probably the projects that best embody the DNA of a programme aimed at “transforming the University of Bordeaux’s campuses into a living laboratory and an incubator for experimental projects serving the transitions”. In these Living Labs dedicated to biodiversity, energy and sustainable food, students, academic staff, administrative staff and external partners work together on concrete issues. “This hybrid format allows us to step outside the university microcosm and open up to society,” says Philippe Moretto.

Looking back, Antoine Simon notes the happy alignment between the life cycle of the major programme and the individuals who shaped it: “Antoine de Daruvar, then VP for institutional affairs, spearheaded ACT, established its governance structure - steering committees, internal organisation - and began raising its profile among laboratories, departments and faculties. The major programme was then led by Éric Macé, the university’s first VP for transitions, who notably strengthened the Living Labs and launched the ‘Major Challenges in Sustainability Sciences’ programme. This phase enabled the development of scientific ambition and partnerships, notably with Bordeaux Métropole. Finally, Philippe Moretto, the current VP for transitions, initiated the crucial consolidation phase by making the major programme more accessible and aligning it with the expectations and challenges of the communities.

Transforming a university: a collective and cultural challenge

“A university is not a monolithic structure,” points out Philippe Moretto, “it is a complex ecosystem with multiple missions – education, research, innovation, engagement with society and its local areas… – governed by logics that can sometimes appear contradictory and inhabited by communities with very different professional cultures. Transforming such an entity cannot be achieved by decree or command. It requires time, resources, and the ability to foster dialogue between worlds that do not always intersect. The idea is to help colleagues adapt to the new culture, to encourage them to take the initiative, and to equip ourselves to support them.”

With a budget of 17 million euros over eight years, ACT has so far enabled the launch of 14 programmes comprising around 60 active projects – a substantial volume, even if their roll-out remains gradual. “Some take time to materialise, as we first have to go through administrative and organisational stages,” explains Élodie Martin, who manages this as a major programme manager. “A recent example? The laboratory supply store project, set up on the Carreire campus in Bordeaux, which, once up and running, will enable four research units to pool certain consumables, reducing deliveries and costs. The ACT programme funded the warehouse construction and the management software. This is typically the kind of project where a long preparation phase precedes implementation. But when the results start to show – in this case, the first orders – it’s very rewarding!”

The ACT project is run by a consortium, whose partners Élodie Martin lists as follows: “the CNRS, INSERM, Inria, INRAE, Bordeaux University Hospital and the Bordeaux University Foundation. The call for projects was restricted to IdEx universities, so funding is mainly managed by our university, though some funds are managed by partners. This is particularly the case for INRAE, which manages several projects linked to the Climate and Biodiversity Living Lab, such as the experimental forest or projects on trees’ resistance mechanisms to climate change and insect attacks. The CNRS is leading a project for a water consumption monitoring platform. And Inria is involved in a system that enables the visualisation of the carbon footprint of food.” The topics are therefore very rarely decided unilaterally by the University of Bordeaux, but are developed jointly with the partners.

Scaling up: time for results and further development

The recent mid-term evaluation of the major programme by the National Research Agency (in reality, at the two-thirds mark) marks a turning point: the programme has been approved and will be able to count on the remaining funding (5 million euros of the initial 17 million have not yet been allocated), subject to certain recommendations. “The panel drew our attention to three key challenges between now and the end of the programme,” summarises Antoine Simon: “greater international outreach, better impact measurement, and finally the sustainability of the projects: even though ACT’s role ends at the experimental phase, we need to devise the mechanisms and funding that can take over to scale up the projects.”

Almost six years after its launch, ACT is no longer just a programme; it is now a framework that has begun to transform practices. “The flagship programme has really helped shape the university’s strategy on environmental and societal transitions,” notes Élodie Martin. “However, there is still a long way to go to ensure a genuine cultural shift across all communities,” points out Philippe Moretto. For Antoine Simon, “the objective now is to maximise the impact of projects already launched, ensuring they do not remain isolated initiatives.” And to look even further ahead, concludes the VP for Transitions. “It is time to begin thinking about the model of university we want for 2050, in close consultation with our academic communities.”