Launch of the Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty
On Tuesday, 9 December 2025, the Institut Polytechnique de Paris inaugurated the Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty.
Co-founded with Paris Sciences et Lettres University and ESCP Business School and placed under the patronage of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), this research initiative, for which IP Paris will draw on the expertise and guidance of its member schools, foremost among which are École Polytechnique and ENSTA, is unprecedented in scope.
Signing of the partnership agreement between IP Paris, PSL, ESCP and DGA for the launch of the Chairs of Higher Education for Sovereignty 9 December 2025 – Paris - © Pauline de Courrèges
As research and teaching chairs, as well as places for collective reflection between public and private actors, the Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty will be at the forefront of thinking about the challenges of French power and strategic sovereignty.
Thinking about tomorrow's sovereignty
In an international context marked by profound changes in the balance of power, accelerating technological convergence and increasingly complex innovation mechanisms, the concepts of power and sovereignty are at the heart of disruptive dynamics. However, despite their strategic importance, these themes remain poorly structured in French academic research, particularly from an interdisciplinary perspective.
An interdisciplinary initiative working in close partnership with the public and private sectors
The Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty aim to bring together multidisciplinary expertise (engineering, organisational sociology, political science, international relations, defence studies, economics and technological innovation); structured cooperation (between public institutions and industrial players) and institutional anchoring (within higher education, research and state institutions) to analyse the geopolitical, technological and economic transformations that are redefining the conditions of power and sovereignty in the 21st century.
"What interests me about the Chairs of Higher Studies for Sovereignty is their absolute academic excellence and alignment with the country's technological, scientific and economic sovereignty interests, in a context where war is closer than ever. Sovereignty must be understood in a military sense, but also in demographic, economic, technological, digital, energy and health terms. " - Thierry Coulhon, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris.
"The Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty respond to an essential requirement: academic research is a powerful lever for industrial, technological and economic sovereignty. Universities must play a leading role in this by strengthening partnerships, supporting high-risk research and disruptive innovations, and training more engineers and researchers in the strategic challenges of tomorrow. With IP Paris and ESCP Business School, we are creating a unique space to inform the choices that will shape the country's future." - El Mouhoub Mouhoud, President of PSL University.
"At ESCP Business School, we are convinced of the need to develop hybrid managerial and leadership skills that draw on management and geopolitical teachings. Today, organisations in all sectors operate in a world of unstable balances, uncertainties and variable alliances, where it is essential to understand the balance of power. - Léon Laulusa, Director General, ESCP Business School.
An action research programme
The Chairs of Advanced Studies for Sovereignty aim to produce both fundamental research on the concept of sovereignty and knowledge that can be applied in the short and long term. To this end, the founding missions of these Chairs will consist of:
- Developing research on issues of strategic power and sovereignty, which will be published in reference works.
- Mapping and analysing existing work related to strategic power and sovereignty at the national and international levels.
- Bringing together public and private partners in the scientific, technological, industrial and economic fields to work on these issues.
This research programme, due to its novel and strategic nature, aims to be an open and collaborative space.
This initiative aims to expand beyond the initial circle to bring together all stakeholders (academic, institutional, industrial and economic) wishing to engage in research on the concept of sovereignty.
"Sovereignty is never a given: it is built through every innovation, every investment and every mastery of our capabilities. With this in mind, we must support research initiatives dedicated to sovereignty, which contribute fully to preparing for tomorrow, encouraging disruptive solutions and strengthening our industrial sectors, both military and civil." - Alexandre Lahousse, Deputy Director General of the DGA.