“Joining forces to support the emergence of ambitious scientific and educational projects”
Recently appointed Vice President in charge of Development for Université PSL, Cédric Denis-Rémis, formerly deputy director of MINES ParisTech in charge of institutional relations and strategy and director of Institut des Hautes Etudes pour l’innovation et l’Entrepreneuriat (IHEIE), discusses his roadmap and the major projects of Université PSL.
As Vice President in charge of Development for PSL, your scope of activity is vast, covering student entrepreneurship, corporate relations, patronage, and continuing education... what are your top priority projects?
Our next goal is to become the leading European university post Brexit!
Cédric Denis-Rémis: PSL and the heads of institutions have done a fantastic job these past few years building the top French university. Naturally, our next goal is to become the leading European university post Brexit (laughs)! To achieve this, the centerpiece of our strategy is building large-scale projects. I and many others believe that the key to PSL’s success is joining forces across all our institutions. The emergence of ambitious educational and scientific projects is already a strong indicator of this! My first step, then, will be to promote these projects to companies and all of the stakeholders in order to seek funding, form partnerships, and build the reputation of PSL.
PSL has just launched the PSL Innovation Fund, a seed fund especially for “deeptech” startups. What is your perspective on the project?
Cédric Denis-Rémis: It’s a very positive development! By creating a fund worth €75 million, PSL is sending a strong signal to researchers and companies and reaffirming its raison d’être. The sums available and the scope covered are ambitious, far beyond the usual caps in higher education which are generally provided by a single institution. This fund puts PSL in a position to control both the value chain and the funding chain, that is, from initial idea to series A. That’s essential!
Nearly 80 companies have been launched by student entrepreneurs at PSL-Pépite since it was created. What are your plans to encourage this momentum?
PSL-Pépite provides support for entrepreneurship while allowing students to finish their studies.
Cédric Denis-Rémis: It is important to send the right message. We want to support successful projects, not simply to launch as many as possible. Entrepreneurship is a difficult task that carries heavy responsibilities, especially as a student entrepreneur. Our intention is to support students who wish to launch a startup, not to transform all students into entrepreneurs. The PSL-Pépite program is very interesting, because it provides support for entrepreneurship while allowing students to finish their studies. Entrepreneurship offers no guarantees, while a degree from PSL is their passport for life.
Of course, I’m still very proud of PSL’s young entrepreneurs and their success: Workwell and YesPark, two PSL-Pépite startups, won the “Pepites des pépites” prize at the most recent Vivatech expo.
PSL would like to develop its fundraising. Have you set any targets for PSL, and how will the initiatives taken by PSL fit in with those of its member institutions?
Cédric Denis-Rémis: When it comes to fundraising, our strategy is based on the subsidiarity between PSL and its members. We have set a goal of certifying about ten projects by the end of the year, worth several million euros. PSL’s efforts will focus on these ambitious flagship projects sponsored by multiple institutions. They will serve as our leverage to obtain funding and become the global magnet in Europe for both researchers and students.