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The confirmation of the PSL Idex in April 2016 was both a mark of confidence and a challenge. A mark of confidence, because PSL was able to demonstrate to the jury that it offers every proof of a grand university plan based on shared projects and values: excellence in research and training, including new, structural research programs both within and between disciplines (IRIS, CEDRE, PSL-Chimie, PSL-Mathematics, PSL-Environnement); innovative education programs (SPIF, CPES, SACRe, PSL-ITI, EnaMoMa, IHEIE, PSL Pépite); international recognition (13 major strategic agreements signed with illustrious universities); the creation of a PSL Doctoral College, soon to be followed by undergraduate and Masters colleges; an effective policy to support intellectual property rights, dynamic campus life (a hundred student initiatives financed, an orchestra and choir, a sports association), etc.

The challenge ahead is that of forming a real institution, that is, persuading the world that PSL is not just a temporary or opportunistic alliance, but a separate entity, our common parent. Close collaboration between the heads of each PSL institution has produced a political text that offers each institution an opportunity to position itself within our university. By a large majority, Chimie ParisTech, EPHE, and ENS have already declared themselves members and CNSAD, EnsAD, and the Collège de France associates. The CNRS has confirmed its commitment as a partner research center. We are already on the path to success; the high ideal of a university is within our reach. It is up to us all, in the coming months, to grasp that ideal and prove that we have every faith in the grand ambition that drives our efforts and is bigger than any one of us.